The Water Is On Fire
by stevenlover101
Summary: Jennifer Collins has moved to Hoenn and started her journey at the worst possible time, what with Team Aqua and Magma on the loose and reeking havoc. This doesn't have much to do with her, but when she meets Steven Stone, EVERYTHING changes...
1. Chapter 1

**1**

I stood wearily outside my new home. My knees were still weak from the ferry ride. I really didn't gel with the sea, and it didn't like me too much either. What made my feelings considerably more bitter than they already were was the fact that I didn't even want to be on the ferry in the first place.

"Well, what do you think?" Dad asked me, smiling. I looked at him and noticed a few flecks of vomit on his shoes. I felt an enormous and rare wave of affection for him at that moment, as he'd spent most of his time on the ferry holding my hair behind my head and hadn't said a word.

It took me another moment to realise that he'd asked me a question. I turned to look at our new place.

"All I can see is the front door," I answered, wiping cold sweat off my forehead. "And it needs repainting."

"Don't be like that, Jen." He seemed a little hurt. "Think of this as a new start. Besides, you've finished school now and that means" he bent closer to my ear and spoke quietly, "you can finally start a serious training career!"

My face must've turned less green at this, for he smiled.

"You'll feel better about it when you feel better yourself!" He hugged me and I wriggled away, groaning and clutching my stomach. "Oops. Sorry. I forgot… Anyway, our stuff's already inside so come and unpack and have a good look around." He was acting like a kid at Christmas. I'd never seen him this happy or talkative before. Although I didn't want to move in the first place, I had to admit that this change the move had bought was an our big red sofa to lie down on for a while, I followed Dad into the small flat. It had a nice quaint feel about it. The main room seemed cosy enough - I was pleased to see the sofa in the middle of the room, taking up the most space and looking as inviting as ever - and the view from the window was picture perfect and I made a mental note that I must draw it at some stage. Maybe this new place wasn't so bad after all.

"It's not so bad," I stated, bluntly. Dad seemed busy with the kitchen, shoving a frozen pizza in the oven before turning to inspect the cupboards. The kitchen was just the corner of the living room with tiles to accentuate the partition. The walls were painted paprika red and the carpet was black. Our white, fake-fur rug blended nicely with the whole look. Boxes of the rest of our possessions lined the walls, stacked messily, evidently by Pokémon movers - apparently they were all the rage in Hoenn.

"Pizza in twenty," Dad read off the back of the box before throwing it into the sink. "Oh, Jennifer, you haven't seen your room yet. Come have a look and sort your stuff out."

"I'll do it later. I can't be bothered," I called back, dropping down on the sofa and kicking off my trainers.

"Where have I heard that before?" Dad walked behind the sofa and grinned down at me. "Come on, I'll show you your room."

He held out a hand and I took it reluctantly. He yanked me up - ignoring my protest at the force - and walked over to the back of the room. Three doors lined the wall, the third one more spaced out from the other two. He walked over to the door on the right and pushed it open.

It was a small boxy room with the same black carpet as the living room. The walls were plain white with a window taking up most of the one opposite the door. I was pleased to see that all my things were there; the left half of the room was taken up by my bed - upon which three boxes sat - and the other half by a thin wardrobe and an average-sized desk - upon which one box and an old-fashioned, silver-plated alarm clock sat. I walked over to the clock and picked it up, turning it over in my hands. It ticked noisily at me.

"I bought you a new clock, seeing as Amy sat on your old one at the leaving party..." Dad seemed eager to please me. "The room's a bit small but you'll have the house to yourself a lot so…"

He trailed off into a hesitant silence. I smiled at him to put his mind at rest.

"Thank you," I said looking up at his face which broke it's tense cover. I felt a little better as he was clearly trying to make up for turning my life upside down.

"Seal of approval achieved." He gave a gimmick salute. "Well, I'm going to sort out the flat. I'll call you when dinner's ready."

I nodded as he backed out of the room, shutting the door behind him. I sighed loudly, swept the boxes off the mattress with a bang and lay down on the bed, eyes closed, thinking deeply. Hoenn was going to be weird. Very weird. It was weird enough moving from Kanto to Johto, and those regions were adjoined. Hoenn was totally separate from Johto, which was where my heart would always be. What made matters worse was the fact that my friends were there, although I didn't have too many to miss, and I knew absolutely no one in this new, separate region. I knew the people who I would miss the most would me Lance and Amy; I'd barely spent a day not seeing at least one of them for the past three years - with Lance, it was about seven - and I knew the pangs would start quickly. I even thought I would miss school a bit, though I'd finished my final year. It was scary to think I was now free… Sixteen and at liberty to do whatever I chose to do. Thinking it over, if the option was open to go back into education, I would probably take it. But there was nothing left to learn unless I was to specialise in something, and I had no idea what I wanted to do.

Even on my own, my mind prodded me for lying to myself; there was something I desperately wanted to do. Something I'd wanted to do since I could remember but never really thought I could do it…

To become a Pokémon trainer would be amazing.

Yet, I knew how tough it would be; the only reason why I'd never settled down anywhere was because of Dad. Or, as he is known to the rest of the world, James Collins; dark Pokémon trainer. We were moving a lot when he was running his way up the league ladder and once he'd hit his target and got to where he wanted to be, we _still_ kept moving because he couldn't settle in a job for any duration. I hadn't minded so much then because he'd stayed in Johto, but now he'd taken off to a whole new place and I didn't like it. I was very angry with him when he broke the news to me. Our relationship was complex, and this new revelation did nothing to it except add another crack in the foundations.

And yet… starting the league in Hoenn would be appropriate with starting afresh in general… It could be the beginning of the rest of my life, so to speak.

These thoughts lead me down a long tunnel of imagination which quickly spiralled into a dream-filled sleep.

* * *

I groaned and rolled over, clutching my pillow closer around my head. This struck me as odd, as I hadn't had a pillow to start with. Nor did I have the duvet which was currently tangled around my legs. I sat up abruptly and looked around the room. The curtains had been drawn, a slither of light beaming through the crack between them, and the boxes I'd pushed off my bed had been fiddled with: books, sketchpads and several piles of photographs were now on the desk and the wardrobe door was open, revealing most of my clothes hanging on coat hangers, my shoes littering the bottom. My fluffy purple cushion was on the swivel chair and my manky old slippers were by the edge of the bed.

I got out of bed, feeling another unfamiliar rush of affection for my dad as my feet slithered themselves into the slippers. I walked over to the desk, stretching out my limbs and shaking my head like a Growlithe, and looked down blearily at the photos. Three faces looked back at me, smiling and raising wine glasses filled with drink to the camera. The middle face was me, looking considerably wasted, which was fishy as I avoided alcohol at raucous parties like the one I was at. The blonde on the right of me was Amy, who, as I found out later, was responsible for spiking my drinks. The assistant in this crime was on my left with red hair and a rose between his teeth. Lance, of course, was near passing out at the time the picture and it showed too. I grinned fondly at my two friends, before feeling the great need to shower. I walked over to one of the closed boxes, rummaged for a fresh set of clothes and headed for the bathroom.

Half an hour later, I was up and unpacking the rest of my things. It took a surprisingly short time to get everything in order and before long, I was sticking up the photos with blue tack on the wall space above my desk. I was just about finished when I heard Dad knock on my door.

"Mmhmm?" I turned round as he pushed the door open, squashing the empty boxes behind it into the foot of the bed.

"Just wondering if you were up." Dad glanced around the room. "…Which you clearly are. He shifted his weight to another foot and I noticed what he was wearing; plain black jeans, DocMartins and a smart black shirt with a white silk tie. I sensed what he was going to say to me next.

I wasn't incorrect. "I'm going to Sootopolis - the city who's gym is now mine -" he added when I cocked my head at him, "so the house is yours. Hey," he snapped his fingers, "why don't you go and visit our neighbours?"

I blinked.

"You know? My friend, Professor Birch?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Well, he's the one who ear-marked this place for us; he's a good friend of mine."

"Right."

"He has a kid around your age. I think he might be a bit older, I'm not sure."

"Ok."

"Typical Teenager today, I see." He sighed.

I blinked again.

"Well, I told Birch you'd be coming round, so go when you're ready. I'll be back at around six. Your set of keys are in the kitchen and my new number is with them; don't forget to double-lock when you go out. And Jen?" He looked at me and I shifted, uncomfortable in the intensity of his gaze. "I am sorry, you know."

I was a little too stunned to answer.

"See you, Baby." He kissed the air in front of him, smiled and shut my bedroom door. A few seconds later I heard some keys rattle and the front door slam.

The silence was deafening. I was still reeling from his apology; Dad wasn't the openly sensitive type, especially not when other people's emotions were concerned, and he rarely said 'sorry' for anything. I sat down on my bed and stood up almost immediately, feeling too restless to sit. I had a whole day to myself ahead of me and I had no idea where to begin…

Well, a friend would be a good place to start. I left my room, and headed towards the kitchen counter where my keys were and thought I'd pocket Dad's number. I stared around the flat, impressed with all the work that Dad had done on it in the time I'd been asleep; all the boxes previously containing our things were now flattened on top of each other by the door, topped off by the pizza box from the dinner which I never ate the previous evening. Kicking them out of my way, I slipped out of the door and locked it, looking around the hallway for the next flat along. I spotted it on the opposing wall ten or so feet along and walked up to it. I took a deep breath and knocked lightly on the door. There was a pregnant pause and then a small, round woman with a friendly face answered the door.

"Can I help you, love?" she asked, kindly.

"Umm, hi. I'm Jennifer. James' daughter. We just moved in opposite…" I gestured vaguely behind me and blushed, foolishly. I wasn't good with new people.

"Oh, of _course_!" The woman snapped her fingers in a sign of remembrance and beamed at me. "I'm Maggie, Gordon's wife."

"Er…" I inwardly cursed my dad for neglecting to tell me first names.

"Professor Birch's wife, that is."

"Oh, sorry. Hi."

"Sorry, I'm so rude; why don't you come in?" Maggie - or Mrs. Birch - stepped aside so I could step inside. I smiled and wiped my shoes on the doormat that was welcoming me to their home before slipping over the threshold. The Birches' flat was far less chic than ours, with beige walls a, dirty carpet and the aroma of stale toast and coffee; it had the distinct feel of a family home. Papers and documents of some sort were on nearly every surface I could see, and the desk on the far side of the room was stacked nearly two feet high with them. Odd electronic devices were attached to a computer and bleeping quietly in the background. Well, Birch was a professor, wasn't he? And by the looks of his home, I made the conclusion that he was a slightly mad one.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Mrs. Birch was at the kitchen counter, a kettle in one hand.

"Oh, no, thank you," I was distracted by the noise coming from behind a closed door at the back of the room. A child was yelling something and a Pokémon was barking. A second or so later, a deeper voice yelled something and the barking subsided to be replaced with scrabbling at the door.

"So, how old are you now, Jennifer?" Mrs. Birch sank into a squashy armchair with her own tea and gestured at the sofa for me to sit down.

"Sixteen." I answered, following her lead and sitting down. "I've just left school."

"You're just a little bit younger than our son!" Mrs. Birch looked thrilled. "He's just and turned seventeen and finished school. I'll call him out of his room - Brendan!" She yelled at the door where the scuffling was coming from. There was a short pause, a bark and the door slammed open.

"Poochyena! GO!"

A small black shape came flying out like a dart. It leapt over the back of the sofa, onto the coffee table and turned around to snarl at the stranger in the house - me. I yelped in shock and scooted backwards, scared to my wit's end. Although the Pokémon was very small, it's teeth looked very sharp.

"Sam, knock it off!" The deeper voice I'd heard earlier yelled at the smaller voice who whined. "Poochyena, come back here."

The Pokémon shot me one last furtive look before clambering off the coffee table and trotting off behind the sofa. I took this opportunity to turn around to meet-and-greet my saviour, who was an average height, stocky teenager.

"You must be Jennifer," said Brendan, and he held out his hand. I stood up and took it, still breathing deeply. His skin was rough to the touch. I studied his face. It was round like his mothers but his harsh green eyes contained a different nature to the yellowy brown of hers. His hair was platinum blonde, evidently dyed, and messy, kept vaguely in place by a black headband. I had the distinct impression that he was the only one who could pull off that style - and even then, only just.

"Yup, that's me," I answered, smiling nervously. Brendan caught the vibe.

"I don't bite, you know," he laughed, "but I can't say the same for my _brat of a brother_!" He spoke the last four words in a louder tone, which were followed by another wail from the bedroom at the back.

"Brendan, don't call your brother a brat," scolded Mrs. Birch, but she sounded weary as she went to tend to the screaming child. "Nice to meet you, Jennifer."

She retreated into the room and closed the door. A small pause echoed between Brendan and I while we both wondered what to say to each other.

"Well," said Brendan, evidently trying to refrain from awkward silences, "Nice here, isn't it? You like it?"

"Yeah, it's nice," I said, smiling. There was another short pause. I ran my hand through my hair.

"So, have you caught any new Pokémon in this area yet?" asked Brendan who looked hopeful, though for what reason I couldn't name.

And here was the booby trap I'd been dreading. "Umm…" I felt my cheeks rise in colour. "I… umm…"

"You aren't a trainer?!" Brendan looked incredulous but doubtful of his conclusion.

"Umm… no," I said, feebly.

"_Seriously_?!" Brendan seemed shocked. The look he was wearing might've been comical if it wasn't at my expense. I felt more than slightly pissed at his incredulity. Not _everyone_ becomes a trainer at the age of ten! I simply hadn't been settled anywhere long enough to start…

Even in my head, the excuse sounded stupid.

At my silent answer to his exclamation, he continued, "Would you like me to go catch you a Pokémon?"

My opinion of him transformed in a millisecond. I was about to accept delightfully when-

"Ah, crap, I can't. I've got to go check on this Pokémon my dad's monitoring. Well, see you around, Jennifer." He grinned ruefully at me before grabbing a bright green backpack by the dining table and roaring out of the flat, leaving the door open behind him.

I could almost smell his arrogance tainting the room.

With possibly a hint of A.D.D.

Slightly thrown by the abrupt exit, I stood there for a moment, unsure what to do. I strained my ears towards the bedroom. The whining and crying had stopped and Mrs. Birch was just emerging from the door.

"Oh, are you off, dear?" she asked.

Unable to say anything else, I replied, "Yes."

I said goodbye to her and left the flat, unable to stop thinking about how Brendan had acted when I said I wasn't a trainer yet. The little confidence I'd retained all my life was deflated worse than a paper balloon but it was replaced with a helium one bursting with determination; Today would be the day that Jennifer Collins became a trainer!

I left the estate altogether, climbing down the four flights of stairs rather than taking the lift and stepped outside the heavy-set doors. I embraced the gentle summer breeze, but cursed when it whipped my hair across my face, leaving me unable to see anything but black. I pushed it back automatically with disdain; my hair was extremely annoying, but I couldn't do much about it; it was far too stubborn. I took a few seconds to return to focus and began to look around Littleroot Town properly, seeing as the day before I was too seasick to take in much. It was small, with only a few houses and a large research lab belonging to Professor Birch, and secluded, as there was only one route leading out of there to another town. I wouldn't have called it a town myself. More like a hamlet. Regardless, I set my eyes upon the research lab. It was absolutely massive; at least three stories high. I took a few steps towards it when a small group of children around the base of the route caught my eye. I altered my course and went to see what the fuss was about. As I got closer I heard faint yells and began to feel uneasy again.

"What's going on?" I asked a small girl nearest the route.

"Someone's yelling for help down there, but I can't go there without my Mummy or Daddy," the girl whimpered. The other children looked at me expectantly and my stomach turned over. Someone needed help down there. I was the oldest of all the kids and they all thought - or rather assumed - I was a trainer. As foolish as it was in a situation as serious as this, I was too embarrassed to admit that I wasn't.

I gritted my teeth strode off down the route. A few seconds later, I followed at a run when another cry hit my ears. I turned a corner to see a man in a white coat being chased around by a vicious looking black, hyena-type Pokémon. I recognized it as a Poochyena as I'd just been jumped by one not half an hour ago. This one, however, looked considerably more menacing than Brendan's one. It snapped at the man's ankles as he ran.

The man suddenly looked up, saw me and yelped, "Hello, there! P-please help! In my bag… there's two Poké balls! Get one and help me, p-please!"

I gulped. I'd never had a Pokémon battle where I had no idea what Pokémon I'd be using - as I didn't know the Hoenn Pokémon yet - and where the stakes were considerably higher than a fiver. I grabbed the satchel and rummaged frantically for the Poké balls, which were in a special-looking belt, and seized the one on the right.

I knew there was a proper way to throw the ball without disorientating the Pokémon inside, but in all the kafuffle, I couldn't remember it to save my life. Instead, I summoned all my strength and hurled the Poké ball straight at the ground. It landed upside down and sprang open, revealing a beam of white light which put spots in my eyes. When the light abated, a small orange bird Pokémon was perched on it's head, looking thoroughly confused and irritated. It quickly righted itself with some waving of it's one leg and shook it's head, chirping irritably and looking around for the fool who released it so poorly. I gazed at it in wonder - I'd never seen a Pokémon like this before! It was gorgeous!

The snarling of the Poochyena bought me out of my infatuation with a snap; it had spotted the orange chick and it's hackles were raised to the sky.

"It's a Torchic!" yelled the panicked Professor, now shielding himself behind a tree.

I stared at him blankly.

"TELL IT TO SCRATCH!!" he shrieked as the Poochyena ran at full pelt towards the Torchic looking enraged.

Starting to panic a little, I called out to the Pokémon. "Torchic! Er, Scratch!"

The Torchic leapt with a chirp at the Poochyena and dug a long scratch along the Poochyena's back. It howled in pain and retaliated with a full bodily charge at Torchic who buckled for a moment but sprang back up again, now looking seriously pissed off.

"Try and get it from behind to confuse it!" I called feebly, not expecting much but Torchic was surprising compliant; it ran round and round the Poochyena and I watched - fascinated - as it began to get dizzy. A second later, Torchic's leg slashed through the air and swiped the Poochyena across the face. It gave one more feeble whimper and scampered off into the bushes with it's tail between it's legs.

I breathed out long and hard, the adrenaline still pumping through me as Professor Birch poked his head out from behind the tree and walked over, wiping his sweaty forehead.

"Phew. Thank you very much for that," he sighed, a little more out of breath than me. I was about to answer him when the Torchic hopped over to me chirruping happily and jumped straight into my arms. Startled, I stood stock-still for a second of two, before grinning and stroking the fluffy down on the top of the chick's head. It cocked it's head, cooing softly, and buried it's face in the crook of my elbow.

"Looks like someone likes you," laughed the Professor and then observed my face carefully, in the way one does when they feel a sensation of _dejá vu_, and said slowly, "You look like someone I know…"

"You must be Professor Birch them." I shifted Torchic into one arm and held out my hand. "I'm Jennifer. James' daughter."

"Oh!" exclaimed Birch, taking my hand in both of his and shaking it in a very friendly manor. "Glad to meet you! Though the setting could've been a little less…" He jiggled his head slightly, eyes to the skies looking for a suitable word to use. "…Exciting." he settled for.

"Naturally." I laughed, scratching the fire Pokémon absent mindedly under it's beak. It lay down in my arm and purred softly. Birch eyed this carefully and clicked his fingers in the air.

"I have the perfect way to thank you for helping me out there!" He pointed his index finger at Torchic while looking me as near as in my eye as I would allow. "I think you should have that Torchic you're holding."

I felt my jaw drop and hang precariously in mid air. "Really?!" I exclaimed.

"Of course! It's the least I can do," Birch waved off my shock with a wave of his hand and my heart leapt for joy. I looked down at the little orange bundle of down in my arm and felt a huge smile creeping over my face that I couldn't have controlled if I wanted to. The chick turned over to look at me with it's big brown eyes and chirped. I swear it was so cute I could've eaten it! A second later, a thought struck me and I turned back to Birch.

"Umm, how can I tell what gender…" I started but he cut across me.

"This one's female. You can tell by their levels of affection towards the trainer. The more affectionate ones tend to be female," he answered with the knowing-air of a stereotypical professor. I smiled.

"I take it you've met my Brendan?" he asked and I nodded. "Well, he's just beyond Odale Town. Maybe you should go and meet him? Show him you're new 'acquirement'! He'd like that."

Thinking solely of the look on Brendan's face when I showed him my Torchic, I answered brightly, "Sound's like a great idea!"

"Fabulous! And - oh, in that case…" He jogged over to fetch his satchel and jogged back, rummaging in inside it for something. I waited patiently, stroking Torchic, while he mumbled to himself and confirmed my suspicions that he was barking.

"This is a Pokédex," said Birch, triumphantly holding a small red gadget in the shape of a thin rectangular box out in front of him. I leant forwards to take a closer look to see it was very shiny and looked brand new. "It holds data about all the Pokémon you meet or catch." Intrigued, I was taken aback when he took my free hand and bought his own holding the Pokédex down to put it into my palm.

"You're… you're giving me this?" I simply gaped at him when he nodded.

"Of course!" he beamed at my expression, "How can a trainer get on without one?"

_He called me a trainer…_

I decided I liked Birch very much. Very much indeed.

"But… but it's brand new!"

"Sweetheart, I have about twenty of these back at the lab which I haven't even opened yet." He smiled. "I can afford to give up a new one."

Thanking him endlessly, we said our good-byes and he set off back down the route towards Littleroot, his satchel on his shoulder, still open. I grinned fondly after him before something caught my eye. The Poké ball that I'd thrown not twenty minutes ago was lying open on the grass. I bent to pick it up. It was light as a feather and smooth as silk. It felt very comfortable in my palm, like it belonged there.

"I think I need to go pack my bag, Baby," I spoke to the now sleeping Pokémon in my arms. "I don't think I'll be going home for a while…"

* * *

It took me half an hour to pack a backpack full of clothes - carefully analysed and only the best of my wardrobe made the bag - and other necessities that I would need to get by on. My new Torchic spent that time hopping around the flat enjoying herself by inspecting various oddities, like the television and the wastepaper basket. I had watched her, feeling more and more happy by the second as she chirped and flapped her miniscule wings. The only thing that I remembered doing apart from packing and watching Torchic being lovely was leaving a small note for Dad packed full of information:

_Going travelling. I'll call you when I get somewhere with a phone. J x_

I reminisced the past hour gleefully as I made my steady way down route 101, Torchic hopping gamely along by my ankles. I was still a bit of a stranger to her - and Pokémon in general - so I decided to keep her outside her ball at first so we could get to know each other a bit. It was a lame attempt really, as we both seemed too busy with our thoughts to pay much attention to each other, but a relationship was slowly moulding between us and it made me so happy. I couldn't remember being this happy since I was about six. Then, thinking of Kanto, and my mood dropped sadly like a leaf in autumn.

All of a sudden, a Pokémon sprang out of the grass and landed on my foot. I screamed in shock and promptly lost balance, falling hard on my end. Although the fall was cushioned by my bag, I was still distinctly disorientated.

"Crap!" The Pokémon - which looked somewhat like a red Caterpie - slid off my shoe and raised it's tail, which had a pitchfork-shaped sting at the end. Remembering that I was a trainer, I turned to my own Pokémon, who was hovering uncertainly beside me.

"Torchic?" she chirruped at me in a question and nodded.

"Umm, what I meant was; Torchic! Scratch!" I corrected myself, flustered, as Torchic sprang forwards and delivered a blow to red Caterpie thing. A second later, I remembered the Pokédex Birch had given me and I fished it out of my skirt pocket. When I'd retrieved the little red device, Torchic was covered in a white sticky secretion and looking thoroughly put out about it. I grimaced while thinking in disgust, _What the HELL is that…? _

Glancing at the Pokédex for much needed help, I read on the small screen; '_Wurmple. Bug-type Pokémon. As a defence to predators, this worm-like Pokémon shoots a string shot out of it's end to lower the speed of it's predators so it has time to get away_.'

"Wurmple, eh?" I said aloud and looked up to see the Pokédex was correct; the Wurmple had crawled off into the trees while Torchic pecked viciously at the web-like net that has encased her. I couldn't help but laugh at her frustration and pottered over to tear apart the wet strings. Grumbling, she stalked on ahead of me but I was too giddy to be overly concerned and followed her at a distance until I was forgiven. It took about thirty second for her to stop and wait for me to catch up, pecking fondly at my ankles once we were in step together.

About fifteen to twenty minutes past - which included several more Wurmple encounters and one other Pokémon called Zigzagoon - when the sounds of a civilisation hit my ears. Torchic seemed to have heard it too, for she pecked my ankle a little harder and chirped a little louder. I picked her up and she scrabbled onto my shoulder, squatting there and snapping her head around to take in the scenery. Feeling comforted at the weight on my shoulder, I spotted a sign pegged into the ground where the pathway turned to pavement and walked to a distance where I could read it. It said 'Odale Town' in big red letters with a small arrow underneath pointing in the opposite direction with 'Littleroot Town' emblazoned in much smaller letters.

"We made it, Baby." I chucked the chick under the chin and she cooed sweetly. "Come on; let's get you to a Pokémon centre."

I began to walk towards the centre of the town - well, at least where I _thought_ was the centre of the town would be - looking around at the town I was now it. This was definitely more of a town than Littleroot; it was bigger, there were more roads, more houses, more cars and more shops. As I entered the main body of the town, I spotted a Pokémart which seemed to be having some sort of promotional event, as a reasonably large crowd of people - I would estimate at about twenty-or-so - were crowding around the entrance.

"Are you in dire need of medical attention?" I addressed my enquiry to my Pokémon. Torchic shot me a… there was no other word for it; a _sceptical_ look. I blinked for a second and burst out laughing. I felt tears pricking my eyes as she chirped irritably and pecked the side of my head. Cowed by the sharp pain above my left ear, my amusement subsided into snickering and I sauntered over to the crowd.

It was at this moment when I rediscovered one of the few advantages of being five foot three; I could cut my way through a large crowd without too much hassle. I slipped between the other people there, trying not to bash anyone with my backpack or Torchic, and found myself, a few seconds later, at the front. A store clerk was standing behind a row tables pushed together covered in white cloth displaying a huge range of items. A small sign at one end read 'Devon Corporation's New Line of Trainer Necessities'. There were rows of small bottles with different coloured liquids inside each, and jar after jar of various powders. A line of Poké balls were further along, but they weren't the standard red-and-white ones that I knew so well; there were other colours and patterns which I'd never seen before.

I would've gone up to the clerk and enquired about what their functions were when a small intake of breath from the crowd caused me to turn around. A small ripple had passed through the air as the people at the front stepped back a bit from one person.

A tall, slim male - six foot or so - stood in the centre of the diverted attention. He had grey hair which stuck up in various places on his head, like he'd just got out of bed, and he had a thin face with a handsome shape. Dirt was smudged across one of his cheeks and it made him look rather cute. He was wearing a black suit with purple zigzags down either side of the jacket and, underneath, a white shirt with a red neck scarf tied neatly at the front. His arms were folded across his chest, thick silver rings on each of his fingers which were slightly muddy, and he looked uncomfortable to be the centre of attention. Although I had never seen this highly attractive young man before in my entire existence, I instantly recognised the rare sighting of someone who was famous and _didn't_ like it. Most celebrities - cough, Lance, cough - were too up themselves to pay much heed to the attention they were receiving and simply took it in their stride… This guy just looked like he wanted to run away. I felt like patting him on the back.

However, what had held _my_ attention to this man were his eyes. They were a piercing shade of grey, perfectly shaped as though sculpted by an artist of the finest kind. They swivelled along the Mart's table, to the gawping faces in the crowd, to his shoes, to me…

Torchic pecked my ear. I blinked and nearly buckled as I realized what I'd been doing.

_SHIT!_ My cheeks burned and my eyes dropped to the floor, lamely pretending to be inspecting my converses for muddy marks, of which there were plenty. Unable to resist, I gave up and glanced sideways back at him. Those eyes had not looked away. His head was inclined slightly and a curious expression was on his face; he looked intrigued.

Another sharp dig in my temple caused me to start violently.

"Tor!" My Pokémon fell off my shoulder with a cry and landed on my foot, which she began pecking in quick succession, clearly hugely pissed off at being ignored for so long - and dropped, to boot!

"OK, we're going now." I mumbled quickly and I snatched her up from the ground, turning my head back to the left. The grey-eyed guy had gone, replaced by swarm of whispers and every person in the crowd gossiping animatedly with each other. I slipped back through the people away from the promotion, unable to catch audible words from the buzz being emitted from their mouths, before Torchic and I immerged from the other side of them. I stretched my legs idly, yanking my backpack further up my back. Torchic was now on the ground, hopping around me, chirping, "Torchic, Torchic, Torchic, tor!" in a rhythmic sort of way.

"You're a cheeky little bugger, aren't you?!" I folded my arms, ignoring the delighted tweeting from my Pokémon. She simply continued to hop around, looking cheerfully up at anyone who looked at her.

Taking one more second to think about the mysterious handsome stranger I'd briefly encountered, I carried on walking.

* * *

"_Gotcha!"_

_I yanked my fist out of the ground, a small green stone clutched in my fist. I bought it up to my eyes and brushed off the soil from it's surface; it was a translucent jade, with jagged edges which were slightly earth worn. It wasn't perfect but, to me, it was beautiful. I'd been looking for it long enough that even if it was mangled and tacky, it would've been a diamond to me. I straightened up, wincing as I'd been crouched for so long, and dropped the Leaf stone in the inside pocket of my jacket. I brushed the dirt off my hands and surveyed the small hole I'd excavated. Too tired to bend down again, I used the edge of my shoe nudge the soil I'd dug up into the hole, filling it up once more. Checking the ground quickly to see if I'd left anything behind, I flexed my fingers and began the steady walk back out of the forest towards Odale Town._

_I rubbed my eyes feebly with the back of one hand. I'd slept worse than usual for the past three nights and I'd stopped feeling hungry. My dad had needed much more help recently with Devon, what with the latest range of products hitting the stores this week, and Jacobs had been pestering me with a different part of Devon's productions - the private order my dad had taken from the Slateport Shipyard. I hadn't been able to look Jacobs in the face ever since that emergency meeting months ago, when he'd tried to act the understanding adult. I cringed at the memory of that awkward, awkward minute. Ironically enough, and I sighed as I thought it, nothing much had changed since then, apart from Jacobs' advice being correct for once; I'd had a hell of a lot to think about apart from that, and the forgetting did help immensely._

_Light hit me like a slap in the face and I had to close my eyes for a moment. Once I'd adjusted, I realised that it wasn't even that bright; the sun was about an hour or so from setting and obscured by relatively heavy cloud. The town appeared, from this angle, a little more quiet than usual and I wondered what day it was that could result in this lack of activity. And then it hit me; Devon's Hoenn-wide promotion day._

Well, no harm in checking out how it's going,_ I thought to myself and I began to walk towards the Pokémart._

_About two minutes later, the noise activity picked up and I rounded a corner to see a group of people gathered around the Mart. Satisfied on outside appearances, I made my way over to the place myself to see what was on display. When I was about ten feet away, the people at the back of the crowd noticed me. I watched, internal disdain licking my insides, as their faces showed open amazement and their arms began nudging their neighbours, never taking their eyes off their prey. Sighing, I continued to walk forwards, taking advantage of the splitting in the crowd to make an easier pathway towards the front. Once the people had parted like the red sea for me, I folded my arms and scanned the table the store clerk had placed out front; all the items on the list were on display in a very tasteful pattern. I ran my eyes along the table trying to ignore the feeling of eyes on the back of my head, but I couldn't ignore the whispers anymore. I glanced at the people on either side of me, now whispering shamelessly to anyone who would listen, but stopped my surveillance when one person who wasn't whispering or gawking caught my eye._

_A girl with a Torchic on her shoulder was looking at me out of the corner of her eye. She had long black hair that came well past her shoulders and dark blue eyes which glittered in the light of the aging sun. She was extremely pale, quite short and very thin, wearing a baggy green t-shirt, a denim skirt and black leggings ending in black converses. She had a backpack on her back which told me she was a trainer intending to be serious - and if not intending, going to be. She was extremely attractive to say the least…_

_A second of eye contact passed before the Torchic pecked her ear and she jumped, looking firmly down at her shuffling feet. I cocked my head to one side and continued to watch her. Another second of observation told me that she was a trainer brand new to the trade. Further still, it told me that she was new not only to Pokémon, but to Hoenn itself._

_The crowd began to rustle and I distinctly heard one woman say to her friend, "Oh, I don't believe it! I haven't got a single pen on me! Do you think he'd sign my diary in lipstick?"_

_Enough was enough. With one last look at the girl and her cheeky Torchic, I turned heel and walked straight out of the crowd. Once I was free of the eye of the public, I made my steady way towards route 103, thinking vaguely about silence and Fire stones._

_Amongst other, less desirable things._


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

Half an hour later, I was out of the Pokémon centre with more than a healthy Pokémon: the nurse at the counter had issued me with an official Hoenn league trainer card, which I had to update regularly, whenever I was at a Pokémon centre in any city, with details of Pokémon and progress. I was very excited with the whole process, mainly with the fact that I was officially starting a real life, but I couldn't deny the small thrill I got while deciding what colour card to have. My name was then engraved, and a trainer's bank account was opened with a starter of two-hundred pounds - which gave my jaw a bruise when I dropped it on the floor.

In addition to this wonderful elation that had settled somewhere in my stomach, Torchic was fully healed and back in her Poké ball as I couldn't deal with her pecking at anybody else's ankles who walked past us. I was now certain that she had A.D.D.

Speaking of A.D.D., I was making my way north to route 103 to find Brendan. Unfortunately, I was too busy imagining the look on his face when I told him about my makings as a trainer to notice a tree root sticking out of the path; naturally, my foot fit snugly into the ground clearance between it and the dirt and I staggered sideways. However, I managed to prevent my face from meeting the ground by the sheer luck of bush planted in the way of my fall. I vowed from that moment on to concentrate on where I was walking, rather than drifting off into the future. Back in Johto, I was renowned by most for being the most clumsy person in the universe; if I'd trip over air if there wasn't anything else. At the thought of Johto, I felt a great pang in my chest…

Followed sharply by a great bang on my head. I cursed, my palm pressed to my forehead, and glared at the lamppost in front of me as though it had done me a great injustice - which it had! I stuck my mind firmly back in the present and sauntered on, walking diagonally due to the blow to my head.

Route 103 was like a nature reserve; trees were everywhere, spread out like dropped marbles on a kitchen floor, instead of clumped together to make a forest. The grass was the purest green I'd ever seen in my life, little daisies sprouting all over, and the odd dandelion plant waving in the breeze, throwing it's seeds in the wind. In some areas where I intended to walk, the grass was long, and it rustled with signs of life and the odd growl, hiss or cry of what was obviously wild Pokémon. Feeling apprehension expanding uncomfortably in my stomach, I withdrew Torchic's ball from my pocket and held it tightly in my slightly sweaty palm as I began parting the greenery to walk through.

Torchic and I were jumped many times during the next twenty minutes by more Zigzagoons and Poocheyenas, all of whom seemed a good deal stronger than the ones we'd encountered on route 101. Despite this, Torchic blew them away just as well as she'd done before - if not, then better. She seemed a little more confident in her hops now and - unless the bruise forming between my eyes was affecting my brain - she seemed to have gotten a little bit bigger. Once I'd made my way out of the long grass, I brushed the pollen off my T-shirt and grabbed my Pokédex. Torchic shook her tiny feathers as preened as I twiddled with a few of the buttons. A second or so later, text flashed upon the screen telling me to insert my trainer card into the slot at the back. Feeling a cheap thrill at the first use of my card, I slipped the purple card into the back of the Dex. It fit like a glove and the results were immediate; a small picture of a Torchic appeared on the screen with _my_ Torchic's personal stats listed next to it. Small black letters rolling under the standard picture read: _TORCHIC - LVL. 7_. Torchic had been level five when she'd been given to me - Birch had told me…

"Good work, Baby!" I fussed while ruffling the orange feathers on Torchic's head in congratulations. The bundle of orange fluff cooed delightedly and began a strutting sort of hop down the path ahead of us.

"Tor!"

"Godsake." Sighing, I followed her. That was until a certain movement caught my eye. A rustling of bushes followed shortly by the distinct float of voice that one uses when talking to themselves. I turned around only to lay eyes on Brendan, who had his back to me and was fiddling with a small round device. I clicked my tongue at Torchic, who was at my ankle in an instant, and we walked over to him. I coughed slightly and he looked up, eyes a little glassy from all the bending down over screens. He blinked the film away, performed the slightest hint of a double-take and grinned.

"Hey, Jennifer." He looked down to my ankle. "Hey! Dad gave you a Pokémon too?"

"Yeah, he did! It's quite an odd story really…" I took pride in recollecting the story of the way I saved Birch from a near-death experience - carefully leaving out the parts which made me look stupid - and I was pleased to see that Brendan looked a little sheepish by the end.

"God, my dad can be _such _a wuss!" He sighed and raised his eyebrows at me as though I knew exactly what he was talking about. In the dark to this, I smiled anyway, and he suddenly did too.

"Hey, seeing as we're both trainers, how about a battle?" he asked eagerly.

I hesitated, looking down at Torchic, who was now poking at a pebble shaped like food with her beak.

"Umm… I don't think we-"

"Scared, are you?" Brendan said slyly, a small smirk pulling at his lips.

Outrage coursed through me. "No!" I said, trying to sound defiant but it came out desperate.

"Awww!" cooed Brendan in a baby voice which made my insides burn. "Jenny doesn't want to battle me!"

Wow. Brendan was truly an arsehole. "I didn't _say_ that," I said, now feeling genuine desperation seeping into my throat.

"You didn't need to," Brendan retorted, and my little flare of happiness and confidence felt like he'd pissed on it.

"Fine!" I snapped and stepped back, making a space for the battle field. Brendan mimicked me, that sickly smirk still plastered onto his lips. I felt a slight tug at my leggings and I looked down. Torchic looked nervous now, and I could feel it too; this was going to be her first battle - _my_ first battle too - and Brendan didn't seem like the type to go easy. The latter revelled in my familiar feeling of apparent unease.

"Come on, then!" He cried. "Go, Mudkip!" He withdrew a Poké ball from his waistcoat pocket and drew back his arm like an archer. He span the ball through the air with ease and it cracked open - right side up - on the grass in front of him. A blue Pokémon on all fours was revealed from it and it let out a war cry of "Mudkip!"

My heart sank. It had fins on it's back and webbed feet; it was a water Pokémon. Torchic was fire and fire gelled worse with water than I did.

My anxiety must have shown like sunlight through a window. Brendan lifted his hand and pointed it straight at Torchic. "Tackle!"

Completely helpless, I cried in vain, "Torchic, scratch it!" She obeyed, charging full pelt towards the Mudkip. It looked like they were going to collide head-on and I winced, but Brendan clearly had other ideas.

"Mudkip, dodge and use water gun," he yelled and I moaned with anguish. The Mudkip veered off to the left, skidded a yard and opened it's mouth. Water shot out of the gland in the back of it's throat and shot through the air like a rifle. The blast of water hit Torchic full in the face and she cried out as she was slammed backwards into the trunk of a tree.

Although she staggered upright once more waiting for my command, I didn't know what to do. I stared around me hopelessly, as though hoping someone would come to my rescue and help me defeat this trainer.

Something moved five feet to the right of Brendan. I flicked my eyes towards the source and felt something judder to a halt in my stomach. The guy from the crowd outside the Odale Mart was there, his silver hair sticking up in that clearly distinctive way that proved to me he was the same person. His arms were folded across his chest and he was watching the battle unfold before him. His grey eyes glittered at me and I blinked, remembering where I was; in the middle of a battle I was going to lose.

"Seeing as you're not going to move," Brendan drawled, kicking the flowers in the grass at his feet, "I might as well finish you off now. Mudkip! Tackle that Torchic!"

"Tor!" My Pokémon looked up at me; the helpless seeking help from the helpless. In a wild moment, I threw a desperate look at the guy in the trees and I saw him mouth two words to me, followed with a quick slash of his arm in front of him. Those two little words which would turn my luck around.

_Speed advantage_.

My brain clicked into gear. I straightened up and turned back the battle where Brendan looked almost bored and Torchic looked almost petrified.

"Torchic! Run around it!" I yelled and before it had even happened, I knew it had worked. Torchic ran head on towards Mudkip but feinted at the last second to the right before swerving to the left, sending Mudkip careering into a tree. Brendan's eyes expanded to the size of dinner plates as Torchic chirruped with glee when Mudkip span around looking enraged, a red mark appearing across it's muzzle.

"No! Mudkip! Water gun again!" Brendan shrieked, shattering his image as the cool and collected trainer who always wins. His Mudkip reared and breathed in.

"Make it dizzy, Baby!" I felt like dancing for joy. Torchic zoomed out of the water gun's range and began to hop in frenzied circles around the Mudkip. It was like watching a cartoon show, when the heads go blurry when trying to follow something really fast; Mudkip's quick reflexes were making short work of it's conscience, and it teetered.

I seized the chance. "Scratch, now!" It was all too much for Mudkip. Torchic's talons scraped deep into it's back and it let out a feeble cry, falling to the ground.

"NO! Mudkip!" Brendan ran over to the fallen Pokémon who bleated it's name lamely before passing out, too exhausted and dizzy to stay conscious. Torchic squealed and hopped up into my limp arms but I was standing still, stunned at what had just happened. We'd won a battle. _We'd_ won a real trainer's battle! I held Torchic close to me, still slightly dazed and made my way over to Brendan and his fallen Pokémon. I glanced over to the trees where the mysterious stranger was standing in the shadow of; he still hadn't moved, but he was smiling. And what a lovely smile it was.

"Is Mudkip OK?" I asked, now feeling guilty as I watched Brendan return the creature to it's ball.

"He'll be fine." He looked at me in a different way to how he had before, cocked his head to the side and drank in his new take on Jennifer _the trainer_.

"Good battle," I said and he smiled weakly.

"Yeah, you too." That look was there for another second before it vanished to be replaced with a rather defeated sneer. Then, he added in a defensive tone, "Well, you _were_ scared!"

"That was my first battle! Weren't _you_ scared _your_ first time?" I retorted.

"Nope." He beamed at me liked I'd expected anything else. "Well, as payment for defeating me…" He rummaged in his green bag and pulled out one, two, three, four, _five_ Poké balls and held out all of them for me to take. I gaped at him to check that he wasn't joking and he raised his eyebrows in the way that was fast becoming his trademark. I grabbed my bag off my shoulders, opened the front pocket, held it out in front of him so he could drop the balls into it.

"Wow, thanks," I said, beaming at him myself as I slung the bag back over my shoulders.

"It's _way_ more fun to have a whole bunch of Pokémon," he said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other in quick succession.

"Cool-" I began to say, but he'd already run off, waving his hand behind his head as a quick - and ashamed - goodbye.

I stood there blankly staring at the spot where he'd disappeared for another second before feeling a small dig in my calf. Torchic had jumped out of my arms without my notice and was now looking up at me with her big brown eyes. She looked exhausted but exhilarated at the same time… not to mention really pleased with herself.

"Baby did good!" I cooed happily, turning around and crouching to chuck her under her beak, and she chirped her pleasure back at me. I heard movement some way behind me and someone chuckled. Straightening up, I turned round to see the mysterious man walking out of the shadows towards me.

_Ooh, Ho-oh almighty_.

I smiled at him as he got within five feet of me. "I suppose I should thank you."

He took another step and stopped, folded his arms. "What on earth for?" His voice was slightly husky but soft and very gentle.

I folded my arms right back at him. "You saved my arse back there."

"I didn't do a thing," he replied but a smile was curling his lips. "I was just watching."

"You helped me out _big_ time!"

"_Me_?" He placed both hands on his chest. The rings I'd seen on his fingers before were gone. "I'm just an innocent bystander." Then; "How long have you been training for?"

"Umm… I, umm, just started today…" I cuffed the ground with my shoe, feeling heat in my face.

"Really?" He sounded genuinely impressed. "You did very well back there. Most beginners don't have a clue about type advantages."

I was about to reply when a shrill cry of "Torchic!" pierced the air. My ball of fluff was hopping around my saviour's ankles, nuzzling his trouser leg fondly. I raised my eyebrows at this but he just smiled and bent down to scratch Torchic's head. She took this as an invitation, however, and proceeded to hop into his arms. Looking a little surprised, he straightened up and I shook my head in an apology, highly embarrassed by the antics of my Pokémon. He passed her back to me - smiling at her sad little cheep - and looked at my face.

"She really likes you," he commented, nodding at Torchic, who was now settled in the crook of one of my arms.

The heat in my face rose by a few degrees. "She really likes you too." I smiled at him.

"What's your name?" he asked, inclining his head slightly.

"Jennifer," I said nervously.

"Steven," he replied and held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you." I took it. His skin was surprisingly smooth to the touch, if a little dirty. He smiled when I accepted the handshake.

"Something tells me you're not from around here," he continued, pocketing his hands and looking at me. He seemed interested.

"Yeah, I'm not," I confirmed, scratching Torchic's head. Steven inclined his head again in a silent question. "Johto mainly."

"Mainly?"

"Born in Kanto."

"Ah…" He nodded slowly. "So, what are you doing now then, Jennifer?" Something about the way he said my name made me weak at the knees…

My stomach rumbled at me and I slapped a hand to it to shut it up. "Umm, I'm headed off to challenge gym leaders I think," I mumbled then blushed furiously.

"Sounds pretty neat to me," he said, tactfully pretending not to notice my stomach's noise.

At that moment, Torchic chose to hop out of my arm and dart off into a clump of bushes, chirping away. I made to jog off after her when Steven's hands flew in front of me.

"Ah-ah! Don't move."

I stopped dead, looked at Steven who was focused on something I couldn't see. "What?"

"Don't look…" He was bending down, his eyes tunnels, "but there's a Wurmple next to you."

I instantly felt indignant. "I'm not _that_ new to-"

"No, you don't understand." He was turning very slowly to face the Wurmple I couldn't see. "It's angry. Very angry."

"I don't-"

"They sting. And they're poisonous."

"Ah."

Steven made a sudden movement and I jumped. A small hiss, an sharp intake of breath and a swift air-cutting movement later, he spoke again. "OK. You can move now."

I span around to look at him and gasped. Steven was holding his left hand in his right and was inspecting it curiously. Two large puncture marks had been dug deep into the top of his hand and were bleeding profusely.

I felt myself turn white. "Oh my God!"

"It's OK, don't worry." He let his injured hand fall back to his side and checked a watch on his right wrist.

"I've got to go. It was nice to meet you, Jennifer." He nodded his head in a goodbye, gave a small smile, turned and walked away back to the clump of trees where I'd seen him. When he reached them, he descended into the shadows, his hair glimmering one last time in what was left of the light as he glided behind the trees. A great rush of air. Silence.

"Steven?"

No answer. I jogged over to the trees. "Steven? Are you going to be-" I blinked.

He was gone.

_Well, that was weird. Did I imagine that whole thing?_

I turned back to the clearing and saw Torchic hovering by the bush, looking tired and scared.

"Oh, Baby." I hurried over and bent down beside her. "You need a rest." I pulled her Poké ball out of my pocket and pressed the button in the middle. A red beam of light enveloped her and she was gone, the ball in my hand feeling comfortably heavier. I pocketed it and stood up, looking around, my head still reeling slightly at the freak disappearance of the handsome Steven.

Route 103 seemed to lead to no where according to all the signposts I'd passed. I assumed from this I should backtrack to Odale and see where to go from there. I seemed to remember - with the help of logic - there were more than one exit to that little town, so I turned on my heel and began to walk back towards the long barley I'd come through before. I had parted the grass and was about to step through when something hissed in the space where I was about to place my foot. Apprehensive, I lifted my converse absurdly high and peered comically beneath it. I gulped. It was the angry Wurmple from before, it's sting arched behind it's back like an arrow in it's quiver, and it was pointing straight at me.

"Uh-" Every part of me was glued to that spot; it appeared my mind was taking a while to catch-up with the situation. The Wurmple reared, it's tail glinting in the sunset.

"Oh, this is so not funny." I began to move slowly backwards, away from the grass, but the Wurmple seemed to move with me. "Easy, now. _I_ wasn't the one who threw you in here. _That_ was magical disappearing man!"

Those increasingly-freaky eyes were not amused. I lifted up my foot still higher and moved it slowly backwards, bringing it down at an insanely sluggish pace. A twig snapped under my foot. The Wurmple lunged.

I toppled backwards and screamed as it's sting was driven forcefully in to my thigh. I watched, horrified, as those poisonous fang-like stings sank deeper and deeper into my flesh, when my brain kicked into gear and I batted the Wurmple away with all the strength I could muster. It flew ten feet through the air before landing with a thud somewhere where I couldn't see it. I simply sat for a few seconds, breathing hard and feeling pissed off at the fact I'd been stung by a Wurmple I'd caused no harm to whatsoever.

And then, the pain started. It felt like mild fire was ripping through my veins as the venom spread. To put it politely, it hurt like a bitch. I bent the leg which wasn't burning and tried to get to my feet. I managed it, just about, but my thigh was rapidly going numb.

As I stood I tried to use foresight to work out what to do; the Pokémon Centre. That's what I needed. Gritting my teeth, I began to move through the grass. It took about ten minutes longer than it had done before - which was a lot longer considering I had been with Torchic then and we'd been jumped about eight times by Pokémon - with lots of yelps and teeth gritting, but I made it back to the main pathway. There were a few people dotted around, on walks and training their Pokémon. One or two turned to look at me and called out something, but I didn't hear them. I felt like I'd just had my head placed under water and everything seemed to be spinning. I saw my leg give way beneath me, but I never felt my head hit the ground.

* * *

"Jennifer?"

What seemed like barely seconds later, I came to with blurred eyes. A bright light above my head slapped me into awareness and I screwed up my eyes against it. Once I'd adjusted, I realised I was in a rather uncomfortable plastic armchair. I lifted my fingers and they came into contact with a warm comfortable material.

"Jennifer?"

I rolled my head over, and it lolled lazily on my shoulder. My dad was next to me; he was still wearing the suave clothes he was wearing when I last saw him. He held a small device in his hands I didn't recognise and a slight frown was carved on his face. If I hadn't been slightly out of it - and I knew his behaviour patterns backwards - he might've looked really pissed off.

"Dad," I spoke, and my voice was hoarse. I sat forwards quickly. Too quickly. I was gripped by a head rush and I clutched feebly my temples. The material, which had reached up to my neck, fell down to my lap and I realised I'd been covered by Dad's black travelling cloak. "How long have you been here? And where _is_ here?"

"Easy, now." He pushed my shoulder back so I was shaped to the chair. "That was a nasty sting you got. You've been out for about a couple of hours or so. They've got more or less all the venom out, but the nurse said you'll feel woozy for a day or so. Oh, and by the way; Nurse Joy also healed your _brand new_ Pokémon, which is now back in your bag."

I didn't like the unflattering emphasis on 'brand new'. "So, that's it? I'm OK now?" I asked, more than slightly confused.

"Well…" He leant back in his own plastic chair and began playing with the device in his hand, pressing buttons and drumming his fingers on his thigh. "You've been officially discharged, you need new leggings - as the nurse cut them off you to get to your leg quicker - and, well…" He turned to look at me, and there was no mistaking the irritation in his features. "When you said I'd get a call telling me where you were, I didn't expect it to be from a nurse telling me you'd just been carried into the Pokémon Centre bleeding and unconscious."

I probably didn't feel as bad as I should've done. "Sorry."

"Oh! You're _sorry_!" Sarcasm dripped off his tongue worse than the venom I'd just had extracted from my leg. "Well, I guess that makes it alright then!"

"That's not-" I began, but Dad cut across me.

"Fair? For God's sake, It never _is_, is it, Jennifer?" It wasn't a question. "I don't know; one minute you don't want to move, and the next you're off doing something you have no clue about! You never think anything through, do you?"

Ouch. I felt a sharp pang in my chest that was unrelated to the sting I'd just received and ripped the travelling cloak off me. I looked down at my legs, noticing that they were now bare and the left one had a rather large bandage around half of the thigh before standing up and searching for my bag. I found it and turned to my dad, swinging it over my shoulders as I did so.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" he asked, blinking stonily up at me.

"I'm going to take the gym leaders challenge."

"You _what_?! Don't be so ridiculous; you can't take on the league!" Dad almost laughed and I felt my eyes sting. I turned, strode towards the automatic doors of the Pokémon centre without looking back.

"Jenny," I heard Dad call out with a plea in his voice, but I still didn't turn around. I stepped in front of the exit and waited a moment for the doors and waited for them to open. They did, painfully slowly, and I stepped out, bracing the cold air that stabbed at my arms and legs. The sun had long since set and the artificial light of streetlamps was now guiding the eyes of people. I carried on walking, regardless of the lack of heat, away from the bastard that was my dad.

I sped off - limping due to the fact my leg was still a little stiff - hard in the direction of the Pokémart, bought five potions and then asked around for directions to the next town. Speaking to a nice elderly man with a Zigzagoon told me the next town was not in fact a town but a city by the name of Petalburg, and the only way to get there was by passing through route 102. So then, I set off at a reasonable pace down the high road, as directed by the old man. After about ten minutes of deep, irrational breathing, actions and thought, I found myself at the end of town and at the edge of a sign telling me that Petalburg city was at the end of this route, which I knew instantly to be route 102. I limped briskly past the sign and I felt my composure catching up with me. I found a large oak tree and sat under it, breathed out slowly and unevenly. I thought back to the conversation I'd shared with my arsehole dad about twenty minutes ago. How _dare_ my own father doubt my skills?! Though, why I'd expected anything else, I did not know. He'd always thought I couldn't do much; it was part of the reason why I hadn't become a trainer before. He'd disallowed it, as any bastard father would do. Something in my gut twitched and I felt a new resolution settling itself there; I was going to prove my dad wrong. I was going to travel the region and prove to him I wasn't as useless as he thought.

I stood up and looked down the route ahead of me. The dark grew impermeable to my eyesight after about thirty feet. Feeling suddenly quite unnerved, I fiddled with my bag and managed to extract my big grey hoodie and the Poké ball which I knew contained some company. I jammed the hoodie over my head, flipped up the hood and pressed the button in the middle of the Poké ball. White light blinded me for a moment and Torchic was by my ankles, looking healthy if a little tired.

"Past your bed time, Baby?" I held out my arms and she jumped into them, giving a cute little yawn as she did so, and closed her eyes to doze. As I looked at her peaceful form, I felt a great swell in my heart that told me that I was in love with my friend, despite the fact I'd hardly known her a day.

I took a deep breath, shivered for a second and set off towards Petalburg city to begin the Hoenn league.

* * *

_A long time after I'd left that clearing on route 103 and been to speak to Dad, I'd teleported outside the conference room in Indigo Plateau. Feeling the familiar gut-wrench that occurred whenever one's matter was wrenched fiercely from one area to another, I gasped, catching my breath for a second, before turning to the red eyes beside me._

"_Thank you," I said, stroking my invisible friend, who's metallic rumble of affection erupted from him in response. I returned him to his ball and placed it on my belt before turning to the door. I sighed for a moment and pushed it wide open._

_Everyone was there. All eleven of the old and one new. Gym leaders and Elite Four members alike all turned to face me when the heavy door swung back and rebounded feebly against the wall. I avoided all their eyes and made my way to the seat at the head of the table. The conference room was a grand room, with high walls and a chandelier on the ceiling. A water-dispenser stood edgily next to a far more furbished coffee machine in one corner and three large filing cabinets sat in another, but the majority of the room was taken up by the enormous table in the centre, just big enough - but not if Wattson kept putting on weight - to seat thirteen. One or two polystyrene cups filled with the stale water sat in front of a few people but most had been in conversation when I entered. I found my seat and sat down, turning my head to face all the people in the room, except one. I couldn't look at that person, and hadn't been able to for months._

"_Steven? Is your hand OK?" Glacia leant forwards in her chair. Face remaining blank, I glanced down, following the direction of her gaze. I was rather irritated - not to mention embarrassed - to find dried blood was still mottled between my fingers. Metagross had executed a fabulous clean-up job on the wound, but I guess I'd been too busy speaking - or rather _arguing_ - with Dad to notice the residue left behind._

"_It's nothing; don't worry, Glacia." I rested my right hand on top of my left, covering the dark read smears. Glacia looked unconvinced - as did Flannery, who was eyeing my fingers with concern etched into her frown - but neither of them made further comment. I left another second's gap before swivelling my gaze round to the rest of the group._

"_Well, we all know why I called this meeting today, and don't worry; it'll be short," I began, tapping my foot on the wooden floor. "It's just social courtesy, if you like."_

_Someone snorted. Probably Sydney._

_I went on. "We have a new member of the Hoenn league to congratulate and introduce." I glanced two seats down to my right and laid eyes on James Collins for the first time. He truly was a formidable man; his ebony hair was tousled upon his head, and his eyes were a lethal beetle-black. What made this more shocking was that his skin tone was exceedingly pale, and his facial features were sharp and well defined. He was dressed all in black with a travelling cloak around his shoulders. Inexplicably, he looked like someone who I'd met before, but I couldn't place who or why. It began to bug me, like a ringing in my ear. I placed the ringing on mute and began my scrutiny undercover._

"_This is James Collins," I announced to the room, nodding my head at him in greeting. "He will be taking over from Juan at Sootopolis gym. This means that the league is undergoing a small change, as James specialises in Dark Pokémon rather than water, as Juan did." I looked back to James. "It's nice to meet you. Did you travel over here from Johto OK?"_

"_The journey was fine, thanks." He smiled at me with thin lips. "Wasn't for my kid though. She gets really bad seasickness."_

"_Aww, poor thing!" Flannery leant forwards. "How old is she?"_

"_Sixteen."_

_Drake raised his eyebrows at Phoebe and Roxanne coughed to cover up her small gasp. I myself felt my eyes straining to widen. He had a daughter who was sixteen?! He looked barely older than thirty himself! As it stood, he can't have been more than sixteen himself when he became a father…_

_Trying hard not to judge - as was everyone else in the room - I said, "Cool."_

_Wattson barked his harsh, booming laugh and Glacia smirked at Drake, who shook his head in a fond fashion at me. "Honestly, boy, I always forget you're not even twenty yet."_

_I felt my face flame and stared at the table inwardly cursing, mumbling aloud, "I was nineteen last week…"_

"_Bloody hell, kid," Brawley grinned at me from the far end of the table. "Happy birthday!"_

_I barely moved my lips in a thanks, still waiting for the heat to leave my face. I was rarely seen out of a professional light around the members of the league, and I preferred it that way since… since…_

_A Pokénav began to ring. I could've kissed the person who it belonged to. It was quite amusing to watch every single person in the room reach into their pockets and begin rummaging. However, the culprit was in fact James, and he took the call without bothering to stand up from the table; I quickly took back my kiss resolution. His half of the conversation was eavesdropped on by everyone in the room._

"_Hello?… Yes, that's me… What?… Has she, now… How bad is it?… Well, I'll be there in about half an hour… Yes… Good evening to you too."_

_He hung up, his face a cross between panic and irritation._

"_Is everything alright?" Glacia leaned forwards to him now._

"_I've got to go, I'm afraid." He stood up, wrapping his travelling cloak a little tighter around his slim shoulders. "My daughter's gone and got herself stung by a Wurmple. Nice to meet all of you, and I'm sorry I have to leave."_

_As he turned and swept out of the room, something in my head clicked and I realised why he'd looked so familiar…_


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

It was now the pure dead of night. Night meant dark. Dark meant scary. I jumped at every tiny sound as I carried on making my way through the now deserted route, the late evening trainers having evacuated for safer grounds a while ago. After battling off a few more wild Pokémon and about forty-five minutes of solid paranoia, the ground seemed to level out, and the light of a streetlamp began to brush against the tips of the leaves on the black trees. I was about break into a run - a very disjointed limping run - when I heard a weird grumbling noise coming from my arms; Torchic was looking over the crook of my elbow at something I couldn't see, growling menacingly.

"Baby, what's wrong?" I tried to shift her in my arms to try to console her but then, all of a sudden, she began wriggling furiously.

"Torchic?!" Ignoring my protest, she managed to wrench herself from my grasp and sped off back into the deserted route.

"Torchic!" I yelped and ran after her, wincing as my leg protested furiously. It was no use; the little light that was coming from the city ahead refused to stretch as far back as Torchic had run. I tried vainly to search the nearby bushes, encountering nothing but a nest of sleeping Lotads - a weird watery-grassy Pokémon which had a weird, flat beak. After three minutes, panic set in; I couldn't find her anywhere. Where the _hell_ had she gone?! Worry began to drench me worse than a thunderstorm.

"Torchic! Come back now; you're scaring me." I called into the darkness and something stirred in the bushes ten feet to my left. I turned and began limping slowly towards them when a chesty cough followed by a startled cry echoed from behind me. A startled _human_ cry. I whipped round to see a thin teenage boy emerging from the trees with his arms flung around his head like a helmet. Looking over his shoulder, I saw Torchic in hot pursuit, pecking the teen's ankles with her beak. I fought back the urge to laugh.

"Leave off, you silly thing!" I scolded Torchic playfully and she pottered over, past the cowering teen glaring at him all the while, and hopped straight onto my shoulder, her beady eyes not leaving his thin frame. Impressed at her new found jumping strength, I turned to properly meet the boy in front of me. He was a few inches shorter than me, with dull brown hair, even duller green eyes and a pointy complexion to match his almost ridiculously twiggy frame. He was wearing a white shirt with a blue skinny tie and casual-smart trousers. He seemed less scared upon seeing me, but cautious all the same. Even in the lack of light, there was no mistaking the fact that he was as pale as me. I couldn't help but notice how his eyes were first draw to my legs, but then again, it was probably incredulity at the idea of bare legs at night, with one of them coated in bandages. After a moment, he gave another great cough into his hand and looked up, his big eyes blinking rapidly.

"Sorry, about her," I apologised, grimacing and jerking my head at Torchic.

"Oh, it's ok," mumbled the boy. His voice sounded huskily hoarse. He looked from Torchic to me and smiled nervously. "I'm Wally."

"Jennifer." I smiled back; he looked more relaxed after that gesture. My stomach growled loudly and I punched it into submission. "Why are you out so late without Pokémon?" I asked nodding at the trainer's belt that was strapped around the waistband of his trousers, totally empty of the Poké balls which should've been there.

"I was trying to catch one, but I didn't want to be watched so I thought I'd do it now." He scuffed the ground with the toe of his shoe, looking rather sheepish as he scratched the back of his neck. A small tinge of colour pricked his cheeks and I felt for him; he seemed perfectly sweet. I was always a sucker for anyone - Pokémon, guy or child - who was cute. I mentally tossed a coin.

"Would you like me to help you?" I asked. He looked up from the dirt and looked at me, admiration and shock in his face.

"You'd do that?" He looked imploringly at me, before shifting a slightly wary gaze to Torchic. I noticed.

"Don't worry about her; she's just on edge at the moment. " I smiled, added encouragingly, "Sure I'll help you, but just to warn you; I've just started training today so I'll probably be pretty useless as help."

"Just today?" Wally gawped. "You're really strong though!"

"Well, not really, no." I blushed at his admiration, looked to the floor and changed the subject. "So, what did you want to catch?"

"Something different to what everyone else has." He answered eagerly without hesitation, his eyes scanning the grass with tunnel vision.

Feeling another bite of what my dad had said to me not two hours ago, I followed his gaze sheepishly. "Umm, well, you might need to look a while…"

"But I _have _been," he whined, a pained expression on his face.

"_Time_ doesn't matter when it comes to Pokémon." I said, laying a delicate little stress on the word 'time', my eyes scanning the grass with his. "It's about patience and not being hasty."

"That sounds like stuff I've read in textbooks at school." Wally gave a hacking cough, took another step towards the grass and scanned it, his eyes no longer tunnels. More like open an open landscape.

"Er-"

"Look!"

Wally was pointing across the grass, his eyes back to tunnel vision. I followed his gaze at lightning speed and stopped dead. A small Pokémon was floating in midair about ten feet away. It was certainly something that looked rare. It was very small, no more than a foot high, and a pale white. It's head looked like it was wearing a green helmet that was slightly too big and a berry-red crest which somewhat resembled a horn was growing out of the place where it's forehead should've been. A lilac aura was pulsating from it as it floated, it's stunted little arms swinging like grass in the wind by it's sides and I stared in awe, unable to look away as though hypnotised. I reached into my pocket and drew out the Pokédex, switching it on and directing it at the creature. Another second told me the Pokémon was called Ralts and it was Psychic. I was bought out of my trance at the sound of Wally rummaging in his pockets. When I looked at him, he had three Poké balls clutched in his fist and a blank expression on his face.

"I'm sure I need to weaken it first…" He looked to me and I confirmed his thoughts with a nod. "But how can I do that with no Pokémon?" he asked of thin air, looking crestfallen as this realisation bought him smashing back to reality.

Logic prodded me in the ribs. "Torchic, Ember," I said, pointing at the delicate little creature. Torchic hopped off my shoulder, splayed her stunted little wings and drew in the air. As she exhaled forcefully, a jet of flames erupted from her mouth, curling around each other like fiery Arboks, and hit the Ralts straight in it's face. A strangled, echoic cry came from amidst the mixture of fire and aura and when the flames subsided, the Ralts looked severely battle worn. The level difference between Torchic and Ralts must've been high.

"Try now," I suggested, and Wally smiled his thanks at me. He drew back his hand and hurled the first ball at the Ralts, who was beamed inside. The ball fell to the ground, and sat there, wobbling precariously. A second of stillness and it burst open, setting loose the now irritated Ralts. Wally's face fell and he threw the second ball at it. The effects of the first attempt were repeated, only this time, when Ralts broke free, it looked more tired than it had done before.

"I think you'll get it this time." I cocked my head to the side. "It looks pretty tired."

"You're mine, now!" said Wally triumphantly, and he threw the final ball at it's target. The ball hit and beamed the Ralts inside for the third time. For a few tense seconds, the ball quivered and then after what felt like hours, it went still.

"I… I did it," said Wally in disbelief. "I _did _it!" He punched the air and ran over to the ball on the grass, containing his new Pokémon.

"Well done." My congratulations was probably in vain, as I doubted he could hear me. Wally was standing where the Ralts had been before, holding the ball up to eye level, testing it's weight. Then he looked back to me and his face was shining with a happiness which gave his thin face a very healthy glow. Then to my complete and utter surprise, he ran over and flung his arms around me in a tight hug. I felt my face burn at the complete unexpectedness of this and left my arms frozen at my sides. When he finally drew away, he coughed more violently than he had done before and said, "Thank you, Jennifer. I really appreciate it."

"Umm, no problem." I rubbed my neck, unable to shift the heat on my face, but smiled at him all the same. He looked almost cheek-pinch cute with the goofy grin which was plastered to his face. He waved goodbye to me and walked off with a new found spring in his step, clutching his Poké ball to his chest like a talisman.

Feeling still a little thrown and winded from his hug, I returned the tired Torchic to her Poké ball at her impatient request, congratulating her to keep her quiet, and walked back towards the exit of the route and into Petalburg City.

This certainly was a city; buildings were stacked up high as soon as the trees abated, many lights shining in their windows despite the late hour. The rumble of engines could still be heard, cars were still rolling through the streets and some late night off-licence newsagents were open. I dipped into one to pick up a packet of cheapo chewing gum and to ask for directions to the Pokémon Centre, which thankfully was less than five minutes away.

When I got there, I stared up in awe at the sheer size of the place; it was about twice the size of Odale Town's Centre and it clearly had dorms and rooms where trainers came to sleep at night. Another advantage of being a trainer was that you could get free accommodation at any Pokémon Centre which had it. I walked through the automatic doors and shivered slightly as the warmth hit me. I walked up to the desk, which thankfully had no queue, and handed my Poké ball and trainer card to the Nurse at the desk, who swiped the card with overt force through a machine, slapped it back on the desk and shoved it across the surface back at me as she told me Torchic would be up to strength in about fifteen minutes. I took my card back, assessing the bags under her eyes. As I made my way over to a plastic chair very much like the one I'd sat in back at Odale, I felt sympathy for her; working the night shift must suck. When fifteen minutes had strolled idly by, she called me back to the desk to pick up my Pokémon.

"Thank you," I said taking Torchic back and placing her in my jumper pocket. Then, struck with a sudden thought, I turned back to face the nurse. "Umm, you don't happen to have any single rooms available for the night do you?" I asked tentatively.

"We do, indeed," she said blandly and, handing me a door key, directed me to my room on the forth floor. I thanked her hurriedly and wandered off in the direction she'd yawned to me.

The room itself was cute; it was small, with a single bed consuming one wall and almost half of the space. A diminutive chest of draws sat placidly next to the head of the bed, squatting beside another door leading into a miniscule bathroom, with shower stall, toilet and sink cramped together like passengers on a train in rush hour. As I lay down on the bed testing the mattress, I felt a little spark of pride flare inside me at how much I'd done in only one day of being a trainer...

_Well, Daddy _darling_ must be feeling pretty stupid right now. _

Looking down at my bag, I smiled to myself as I realised how real this had all become; this bag now had everything in it I was going to need, and everything I would be using for the rest of my journey. I rummaged through it, suddenly paranoid that I'd left something crucial behind, but everything was there - even my toothbrush, for which I was infamous for forgetting! However, at the very bottom was something I hadn't remembered packing; a journal with a Jigglypuff fluffy pen shoved into the rungs.. I made my decision in a second and extracted the pen from the spine, lying down on the bed and preparing to write down the days events. I'd never been one for keeping diaries, but when travelling… that's different.

Smiling to myself, I began writing, seeing Dad, Mrs. Birch, Brendan, Professor Birch, Torchic, Wurmple, Wally, Nurse Joy, and a magical disappearing man...

* * *

I woke the next morning with a stiff neck. I untangled myself from the dodgy position I'd somehow mauled myself into and stared at the tiny window, who's curtains I had stupidly forgotten to draw the previous night. I groaned and rolled over to the small Pokémon-centre-supplied alarm clock on the teensy bedside table. Staring bleary eyed at it's face, it read eight o'clock. I got up, my neck and injured leg still aching, had the most awkward shower of my life and shoved on a pair of black skinny jeans, t-shirt and my grey hoodie - I practically lived in that garment. After checking my bag half a dozen times to check I hadn't left anything behind, I half-ran down the four flights of stairs, not bothering to wait for the lift, and handed in my room key at the desk before leaving the Pokémon centre. I blinked at the sunlight which poked me in the eye as I stepped outside, and I had to look at Petalburg city during the day with a hand over my eyes. Quite a few shops weren't open, which confused me until I remembered that it was still early, and the sun was just deceiving me. I ducked into the Pokémart to grab some Pokémon food for Torchic and a bit of fruit for me. On the way out, I spotted a map framed and mounted on the wall, the heading above it reading; 'The Region of Hoenn'. I looked at it, searching for Petalburg, and found it very near the bottom, clustered fairly close to Littleroot and Odale. I ran my finger from Petalburg to the next city, under the name of Rustboro, but passed through a dense clump of green; Petalburg woods. My stomach churned slightly but I knew it wasn't hunger.

I walked through the busy city and out the other side through route 104. I slowed my walk down so I could appreciate the scenery a little better - and so my thigh would stop complaining as much as it was. Trees were closing off the outskirts of the city, making sure the gap between city and rural was clean. I could hear the gentle wish-washing of waves against sand on beach and, as it was early, the sound was unpolluted by the sound of screaming children, dipping their toes in the water and shrieking at the temperature. I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the sea breeze brush my face, and span around in a circle, sighing in the crystal air… It was so peaceful.

I kept walking and passed few people; there was a fisherman on the beach, clutching his rod like a sword, determinedly sitting out the vigil of waiting for that water Pokémon. One or two trainers were out, but none of them looked particularly inclined to battle; they were simply enjoying the exquisite morning with their Pokémon by sunbathing or walking, like I was but with less direction and purpose.

It was only because the day was so nice that I only cursed half-heartedly when I came across grass which I'd have to walk through; which was undoubtedly full of wild Pokémon which we'd have to battle. I let Torchic out by my ankles and began wading my way through, glad for the company of my fiery little friend. A few minutes of uninterrupted walking later, we were finally jumped, but I did not instantly call for Torchic to attack. I was transfixed by the bird Pokémon in front of me…

I looked at the Wingull, as my Pokédex called it, and thought it looked amazing; It was fairly small, but it's wingspan made up for that, each wing being about the width of two of it's torso. It's feathers were a snowy white with blue go-faster stripes along the top of it's wings. It's beady black eyes observed me carefully over the top of it's bulbous yellow beak. I liked that look in it's eyes; the determined suspicion and scrutiny of me. It cawed at me ruefully, it's voice shrill, yet clear, and I made up my mind in a flash.

"Time to get you a friend," I smiled to Torchic, and pointed straight between the eyes of the Wingull. "Use Ember, now!"

Torchic sped at the Wingull and engulfed it almost entirely with her fiery breath, before it had time to dodge. My heart sank as it countered the attack with Water gun and hit Torchic full in the face. I'd been so busy admiring the Pokémon to pay attention to the Pokédex; it was a _water _Pokémon. Remembering what Steven said to me the first time I battled, I switched to using scratch, dodging all the water guns with her speedy hopping until the Wingull was only just conscious and ruffled with fatigue. Knowing what I had to do, I swung my bag on my back round and withdrew one of the balls which Brendan had given me as fast as I could, in case the Wingull chose to retaliate; with eyes like those, I wouldn't have put it past it…

"You're mine," I said and I hurled the empty Poké ball at the battered Pokémon who, like Ralts the previous night, was enveloped by the white light before being absorbed into the ball. It hit the ground, wiggled for a few moments, then Wingull submitted itself to my catch.

"Wow," I exclaimed, happily, turning to Torchic, "I just caught my first Pokémon!"

"TOR!" I felt a painful nip at my ankle.

"I said _caught_, fluff-for-brains, not _got_!" I chided, rolling my eyes at my jealousy-struck Pokémon and she cooed, a little more satisfied but still sufficiently peeved. I walked over to the place where Wingull had been hovering only a few seconds ago and bent down beside the ball, not touching it. I was a little wary; I wasn't sure how long was long enough to ensure a safe catch.

_Of all the things to forget from school, you forget this!_ I thought, angrily, as I looked at the ball sideways. I reached out a tentative finger and poked it. It rocked steadily for a moment, but otherwise, it lay still. Now certain of safety, I grabbed it in my triumphant fist and stood up, testing it's weight with a stupid goofy grin plastered over my face. Suddenly I remembered, through the thick of euphoria, my new Pokémon was injured, I pressed the button on the ball and turned to retrieve a potion out of my bag. When I turned back, the Wingull was squatting on the ground, seeming little annoyed, as Pokémon always are as soon as they've been caught. After spraying the potion down it's throat however, it gave another one of it's shrill cries and perched itself on my shoulder, shifting around and digging it's claws into my skin when I tried to stroke him. Recalling as though from a previous life the words Prof. Birch had spoken to me, I deduced my Wingull was male.

"Ok, you. You can rest now," I said comfortingly, chucking Torchic under the chin before returning her to her ball. I straightened up, slowly so not to dislodge my brooding Wingull and walked on through the grass in a comfortable silence with my new companion. The minutes went by battling off various Pokémon who dared grace our formidable presence until we were through to the other side, and dense trees began forming in the near distance.

"Wing," stated Wingull, his beak gestured pointedly at the forest ahead. I grinned at his recognition and carried on walking. We'd barely been walking for five minutes when I heard a shout.

"Hey!" said a voice I didn't recognize. I turned around to see a posh-looking trainer walking towards me with a confident stride. He was wearing a suit - immaculately pressed at that - and his dark blond hair was slicked back over his head. His teeth were too white as he threw a dazzlingly smarmy smile at me.

"Would you care for a battle?" he asked languidly, glancing at Wingull, who shot him a piercing glare from my shoulder.

"Umm, yeah, Ok," I said apprehensively, glancing at my hostile Pokémon. I wasn't really _that_ good at battling at all. The only reason why I'd won the battle with Brendan was because of the mystical stranger lurking in the shadows behind him…

"Spiffing!" I nearly spat out my tongue at his pompousness. "Let's go," he went on, as though he hadn't noticed the choke I'd suppressed, stepping back a few feet and throwing a ball into the air. A Zigzagoon, nearly as well pressed as the boy's suit, shone into existence barking loudly at Wingull and I. I looked at Wingull, who caught my eye and gave something frighteningly close to a nod before fluttering down to the space in front of me.

The battle lasted about five minutes, but they were minutes bursting with furious competition. The final blow culminated in the defeat of the Zigzagoon with some skilful aiming from Wingull's water gun.

"Good battle," remarked the boy, his hair looking a little wilted after the damage to his pride.

"You too," I said politely. I nearly swallowed my teeth this time as he offered me his price of prize money. I was rich after just one battle! Even as I counted the figures on the screen of the Pokédex telling me how much was on my card, I felt irritated with Brendan for not giving me _any _money after our battle…

Once the transaction was complete, we waved goodbye and I continued to walk the last small stretch of path into Petalburg woods.

As soon as I got past the first set of trees, I realised with a thump how dark it was going to get. The towering pines grew closer and closer together the further I walked, submerging me into darkness. Pokémon would attack more frequently, and each would be more wild and fierce than the previous. There was a smattering of trainers dotted around the forest, obsessed with bug Pokémon and all wearing the same cliché bug-catcher hat. All who I came across challenged me to battles with their Wurmples, but always looked a little too abashed when Wingull and Torchic flattened them without turning a hair, or - in their cases - a feather. I walked on, feeling unnerved as the light from the sky began to shrink from view, barely penetrating the slithers between the intricate branches of the looming trees. After a tentative forty-five minutes, I assumed I must've been in the centre of the forest. The darkness was so dense, I could hardly tell the difference between the trees and the inside of my own eyelids. I edged forwards with more caution, my hands stuck out oddly, feeling my way blindly past trees, my feet carefully analysing each inch of the ground for roots I might trip on.

And then, all of a sudden, light could be seen. However, a blink or two caused me to realise it was not natural light. Despite that, I followed the tiny sparkle of vision and trained my eyes on the source. It was a man, but he was not of the clique I had encountered in this forest. He looked sharp in a dark green official looking suit, searching the trees with a slightly disappointed look on his face.

Something behind me snapped. I spun around, my hand on my belt, breathing dramatically. My eyes narrowed into the darkness but no one was there. Feeling paranoia wrapped around my back like a small child, I walked over to the man, hoping he'd be able to direct me to the other side of this great enigma of forest. After half a moment, he sighted me walking towards him out of the corner of his eye and looked up, his torch - the source of light - now pointing into my face.

"Hi," he said and I smiled. "Sorry to bother you, but have you seen any Shroomish around here?"

"Er… _Shroomish, _did you say?" I asked, blinking agitatedly to disperse the glare of the light in my face before reaching in my bag and flipping open my Pokédex.

"Yes," said the man, diverting the light down and eagerly looking at the red device in my hands, "I just adore that Pokémon!"

My Pokédex bleeped at me and confirmed I hadn't lost my marbles; I hadn't seen a Shroomish before.

"Sorry, I haven't ever seen one before-"

A twig snapped distinctly behind me, and I knew instinctively it wasn't a Pokémon. I turned my head slightly and someone caught my blind spot.

I didn't even have to think. Grabbing the Shroomish guy by the shoulders of his suit I flung myself backwards onto the ground, pulling him down on top of me, just as a Poochyena soared for the place where our legs were a moment before. The Shroomish guy yelped and rolled off me, getting to his feet with surprising agility and swerved to face the direction where the Pokémon had come from. A male in his mid twenties I thought stood there, his face aggravated yet triumphant. He was wearing a pair of knackered jeans and a navy-and-white striped top. A bandana was wrapped around his head, bearing some sort of symbol which I didn't recognise, but what I did recognise was the threat in his stance; he was standing with his feet apart, Poké ball in one hand and the other curled in a compact fist.

"How long does it _take_ for some stupid researcher to get the hell out of the woods?!" he complained, more to himself than us, and his Poochyena growled menacingly.

"Who the hell are you?" I exclaimed, scrabbling to my feet, unable to keep the wobble out of my voice.

"I am from Team Aqua," he said arrogantly before swivelling his eyes round to land on the Shroomish guy, who cowered slightly.

"Hand over those goods," he demanded with a shout, and the Poochyena barked angrily.

The Shroomish guy retreated and turned to me pleading, "You're a trainer, right? Please help me! Please?! He can't get these goods, please?!"

"Of course," I assured him, before turning angrily to the thug with the bandana and saying angrily, "This tosser just got mud on my jeans."

The Aqua man laughed raucously. "Bring it on, bitch!" he roared and the Poochyena charged forward.

I whipped out a ball and hurled it into the air. "Go, Wingull! Use wing attack!" I cried and the latter obeyed cawing it's disapproval as a huge gust of wind blew the Poochyena onto it's back. However, it sprung back up again, looking windswept but enraged.

"You know what to do," said the man lazily and the Poochyena reared and charged glowing more brightly with every step it took. I couldn't help but step back; I'd never seen this attack before, and it didn't look pretty.

"Iron tail!" yelled the grunt. The Poochyena leaped into the air before Wingull and twisted violently. Wingull screeched as he was slashed across it's cheat with the Poochyena's tail and fell to the forest floor, silent and still.

"Wingull!" I shrieked and bent down beside him. I stroked his head but he did not stir. It felt like I was retreating backwards down a long tunnel too fast. My Pokémon was hurt… He needed help… It felt like it was all my fault… I returned him to his ball automatically. I couldn't stand anything else happening to him.

"Guess I'll just have to take the goods and go," sneered the Team Aqua lunging at the Shroomish guy who staggered backwards with a startled cry of fear.

"Not so fast," I said quietly as I stood up. I shook uncontrollably as anger coursed through me. I would get revenge in the meanest way I could, and there was only one sure way I could do that. Slowly and threateningly, I drew out Torchic's Poké ball and catapulted it forwards. The ball cracked open and light blinded the area as Torchic landed on the ground. As if she could feel my anger in her, she crowed at the Poochyena and her eyes almost glowing with the fire she possessed in her quirky soul. The man's face fell a fraction and he began to look more nervous now, regarding my anger as one would regard an angry Gyarados.

"Torchic! EMBER!" I screamed. As predicted, she inhaled and screeched as an immense blast of swirling flames exploded from her setting the nearby shrubs on fire and knocking out the Poochyena before it could cry out to it's master.

Looking somewhat terrified without his shield of his Pokémon, the man returned the Poochyena and stepped back further.

"You're strong," was all he could say.

"You're a bastard," came the rebuke.

"Such a pretty thing, with such a dirty mouth," he said and spat at me. It landed in my eye and I doubled backwards, kneading my face furiously with both slightly dirty fists.

"Don't touch her!" yelled the Shroomish guy but I was already upright again, looking furious.

"I need to get back to Rustboro," the man yelped and - before either the Shroomish guy or I could blink - he sprinted off through the forest without a backwards glance. For a fraction of a second, I considered tearing after him to rip him limb from limb for what he did to Wingull, but I chose instead to collapse onto a nearby tree trunk, panting like a Zigzagoon in the rain. Wingull had been severely damaged by that Iron Tail and I feared for her health. The Shroomish guy bent down beside me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Thank you so much for that," he said kindly and he pressed a small, oddly-shaped pill into my hand. I looked down at it confused as to what it was.

"That's a max revive," he said and I looked at him. "It completely restores the health of a fainted Pokémon while reviving it." I looked into his slightly sweaty face and smiled.

"Thank you," was all I could squeeze past the lump in my throat.

"Now, I'm really sorry," began Shroomish guy, straightening up and already jogging backwards, "but that _thug_ said he was after something back in Rustboro. I must go and warn the company!" He turned to face forwards - a wise decision with all the tree roots sticking up pell-mell all over the forest and yelled back to me, "Good bye, and thank you again!"

With a slightly splayed and hasty wave, he sprinted off after the mugger, removing light from the vicinity altogether. I remained on the trunk and waited until I assumed he must be out of earshot. Once I was sure he'd departed, I let loose a choked sob. I took Wingull's Poké ball with fumbling fingers and released the fainted Pokémon on the forest floor. He was on his back and looked simply exhausted. Even his shallow breathing seemed laboured. I looked again at the small pill and saw and knew I had to force it down Wingull's throat. Reluctantly, I opened his beak and popped the pill delicately into the back of his mouth. Intrigued, I watched as it dissolved instantly onto his tongue and disappeared, and, before my teary eyes, Wingull cracked open an eye and focussed it on me.

"Wing," he cawed before closing his mouth, righting himself and shaking out his wings, looking a little pissed at the dirt in his feathers. He made to clean them, but on catching sight of my face, he nudged my arm comfortingly with his beak to reassure me of his well-being.

"Thank God you're alright," I said, my voice still shaking slightly. Wingull cawed again and perched himself on my shoulder once more. I straightened up, trying not to dislodge Wingull, took a deep, calming breath and continued edging through the maze of trees.

After a ten minutes, I was out of the woods and now facing a large expanse of glassy water. The sun was now nearly at it's highest in the pale blue sky, and it's rays were rebounding off the surface of the lake and poking me in the eye. Stretching across the bridge was a reasonably sturdy bridge, and crossing it, I gleamed from a signpost, would take me straight into Rustboro City. As I began making my way across the wooden bridge, I returned Wingull and hissed under my breath at the mud all over my jeans. I ran my hand through my hair in frustration and found my fingers impeded by several twigs.

_Boy, I must look terrible,_ I thought, irritably. Giving up with finger-combing and walking on in a thoughtful silence across the lake. When my feet finally met solid un-rickety ground again, the sounds of a busy city touched my ears for the first time. I followed the road which lead towards the noise for a few minutes and came across a large billboard. Walking closer to it, I read; "_Welcome to Rustboro; trading exports, Devon Corporation HQ. Pokémon Gym Leader: Roxanne_".

I smiled at the last line. I honestly could not _wait_ to challenge my first gym. I knew I was ready; my Pokédex progress reports were enough proof…

A further ten minutes slipped past, during which I found the Rustboro Pokémon centre, updated my trainer card and sent off Torchic and Wingull to heal. Once they were back to their fully-functioning - and hyperactive in _one_'s case - selves, I decided to explore the city and waste a bit of time before heading to my final destination. Not because I was nervous or anything… Not at all…

Huge buildings towered the pavements as I made my way down them, looking down on me with less of the leer the trees in the woods had done, but with more of a comfortable, yet formidable protection. I glanced in a few of the shops on the high street but bought nothing; window shopping was the only way to shop, although more than too many items had plagued my conscience to get them, but unfortunately, their prices were out of my pathetically small range. As more time trailed by, I wandered into what I guessed was the very heart of the city; a large fountain stood in a huge pool, spraying water from elaborately decorated spouts. It was an extraordinary piece of architecture, and it was so beautiful. I made my way towards it, intending to throw some loose change into the shallows of the water, but was distracted by the sound of slashing and wood hitting concrete. Confused, I turned in the direction of the dull thumps and was dismayed to find my guess correct. A man was standing there, inspecting his nails smugly while his Nincada - a bug Pokémon I recognised from Petalburg Woods - speedily sliced and diced down a clump of small trees on the corner of a building site. Needless to say, this display of strength and skill simultaneously impressed me and wilted my confidence. As though the conflict in my head was audible, the man looked up from his index cuticle and spotted me watching him. To my surprise, he smiled and waved me over.

"Well, as you can see, I have no use for this HM anymore," he said jovially, holding up a small disk. I looked at it curiously before he held it out to me, "I think you should have it. I think you'll make good use of it. It can cut down trees blocking your way."

"W-wow! Are you sure?" I asked, scrutinising the disk in his hand. I recognised the Hidden Machine from Pokology at school.

"Of course, of course," said the man, waving off my doubt with the back of his hand. He pressed the disk into my hand and smiled. "Go far, kid."

A new mental battle; elation and gratitude. "Thank you!" I beamed at him, bad him good day and continued my way in the direction of the gym. Naturally, I wasn't going to walk straight there; I had more time I wanted to throw away carelessly and carefully.

I walked around the city some more, but the more I dragged my feet along the paving slabs, the slower time crawled by. At one point, I could've sworn one of the clocks I saw in a shop window moved backwards when I checked it twice. Just as I was reaching the peak of desperation, I heaved my limbs round a corner only to come face to face with another huge building, by far the biggest I'd seen so far. Curious as to what it was, I looked around and spotted a slightly weather-worn sign next to the fence. It said: "_Devon Corporation HQ, Company Boss: Mr. Stone_".

_Devon…_ The name rang a bell in the back of my head and it took me a few second to remember; Devon Corporation was the company that had held the promotion at the Odale Mart. I turned my eyes away from the writing to the washed-out picture of an old man in a sharp grey suit. He stood with the posture of a man who was undeniably in charge, but with fluff around the edges; on inspecting the picture closer, I could see the man's lips were coiled in a slight smile.

This time when the chord struck in my memory, I couldn't identify why. That smile was so familiar and I had no idea where I'd seen it before…

I shrugged, and walked on.

* * *

_The sun was particularly warm today. I shifted comfortably in the sand, adjusting my position next to the beech tree I was under. My blazer lay abandoned next to me along with my neck scarf tucked into the breast pocket. It was so unbelievably warm, I'd had to undo several buttons of my shirt, and was _still_ hot. It was the winter of summer, and the sun was fighting to the death against the impending September autumn. As a result, Hoenn was over-heating. I surveyed the busy sand before me, watching the children with their rubber rings running into the water, splashing each other and shrieking while their parents sunbathed lazily in the sweltering heat._

_I hadn't originally planned to sit on the beach; I had some stuff which I wanted to get done - I was hardly ever at my home town of Mossdeep - but as soon as I stepped outside my front door, I knew it wasn't going to happen. It was just too… damn… _hot_. Besides, for the first time in too long, I felt at peace with myself and the world, just sitting under a tree with my own thoughts - which was surprising in itself, as most of them usually revolved around… an excruciatingly painful topic._

_I ran my fingers idly along my belt, wondering whether I should let my Pokémon out or not. On the one hand, they might appreciate the breath of humid air and a stretching of limbs, but on the other, heavier hand, I didn't want to draw attention to them. Cradily in particular could be particularly edgy about crowds…_

_I was about to decide against it when a familiar tinkling tune began ringing from my bag pocket: my Pokénav. I shifted quickly, stuffed my hand into the pocket to withdraw the singing device and nearly swore aloud with panic when Jacobs' name flashed on the screen. Reluctantly, I accepted the call._

"_What's wrong?"_

"_Hello to you too, Steven," Jacobs replied, and I could just hear the grin on his face. At this light-hearted gesture, I felt unnerved and confused._

"_Sorry… Hello, Sir. I hope all is well with you."_

"_Thank you. Why so abrupt?"_

"_Sorry, it's just I'm on emergency-only call today, Sir," I said, a frown etching it's way onto my face. "Hence, the abrupt greeting; I just assumed there must be a problem-"_

"_There's a slight hitch, yes," Jacobs cut smoothly through my strained reasoning and I buttoned it. "I need you to get over to Slateport and get something out of that captain…"_

"_Specifics, Sir?"_

"_You know, that jumped up idiot who's really anal about research grounds and our checks whenever he strays into something classified?"_

"_Stern."_

"_Captain Stern!" I heard Jacobs slap a surface with his hand. "That's the one. Well, go and ask him what he ordered from Devon."_

"_Devon?" I sat up and leant on my legs, alert. "You do realise I could just ask my dad, right? Sir?" I added, quickly, not wanting to sound rude._

"_Ah, there's the second hitch…" Jacobs let slip a light sigh and I froze._

"_Talk to me; what's happened?"_

"_Mr. Stone is fine, if that's what your worried about," Jacobs said quickly, "don't panic, son. We just need to hear it from Stern…"_

"_Why?"_

"_Because we need to know what he wants them for."_

"…_Why?"_

"_You're sharp, boy." Jacobs gave a hacking cough which might've indicated amusement. "Because Team Aqua have shown an unhealthy interest in it. They're converging around Slateport. Wallace is on the headline analysis-"_

Poor guy_, I couldn't help but think solemnly._

"_-and there have been more than enough reports coming from Slateport."_

"_I've noticed that," I sighed, bitterly. "Alright, I'm on it, Sir."_

"_Wait, Steven; one more thing."_

"_Sir?"_

"_How are you?"_

_I felt my guts tighten. "Fine," I said, stiffly._

"_Oh, come on, kid. No bullshit now," scolded Jacobs lightly, but concern came through._

_I sighed. "Ok. I'm tired."_

"_Better. Why?"_

"_Haven't slept enough."_

"_I can put Wallace on this if you're too tired?" Jacobs suggested._

"_Why did you call me then?" I frowned._

"_To check you hadn't jumped off the top of the Space Centre."_

_I spluttered into the receiver. "Sir?!"_

"_Alright, alright, that was a line-crosser." Jacobs seemed cowed. "Just as long as you're alright."_

"_Yes!" I spat, angrily. The day was still hot but it felt as though the sun had gone in._

_There was a pregnant pause. Then Jacobs asked lamely, "Shall I call Wallace?"_

"_No. I'll go," I sighed, still slightly enraged, and stood up, brushing the sand from my trousers with the back of my free hand._

"_Sorry, Steven." Jacobs really sounded like he was too._

"_Sir." My mood crushed, I hung up and stuffed the nav back in my pocket, fuming. How dare he?! He couldn't even _see_ the line he was so far past it._

_Hissing, I grabbed my blazer from the sand, threw them over my shoulder and held on with one hand and began to make away from the people so I could let Skarmory out in private. As I walked, the heat began to smack the back of my neck and my feet were seizing up in my shoes and socks. Giving up, I wrenched them off, tied the laces together and swung them over my shoulder, turned on my heel and made a beeline straight for the edge of the lapping waves. I was still walking away from the public beach… just letting some seawater cool off my feet at the same time. It was sheer bliss, letting the waves kiss my toes, relieving them of the blistering heat from the sun. I threw back my head and let out a tense breath of air, rolling my shoulders back._

_As I did so, I felt something slip out of my pocket and felt the splash of the water on my leg from something hitting it. I glanced down and saw a glimmer of ruby beneath the shallow water: The fire stone I'd uncovered yesterday night. However, even as I bent down to retrieve it, tentacles materialised from no where and snatched it from sight. Alarmed, I plunged my hand into the water, searching fruitlessly for the thief, but even as I looked up, I saw the backend of a Tentacool swimming away just beneath the surface of the waves with a glint of red between it's long appendages._

"_OI!"_

_At that moment, my brain seemed to have gone on holiday. Without thinking, I dropped everything I was holding and began frantically running after the pokémon, splashing water wildly into the air, startling some nearby children. Once I was thigh-deep in the sea, I jumped head first beneath the waves, smacking my head through the water, and began a frantic front crawl in pursuit of my treasure. I knew, after a minute or so that it really wasn't working. I couldn't even see the blue bugger anymore, my ears were beginning to throb from the salt and I'd just experienced the back-to-reality moment where one realises where one is and what one is doing; I'd just dropped half my clothes in a place where waves could sweep in and steal them, I'd just swam out to sea to grab something that I could probably easily replace and I'd just soaked through my clothes which I would have no time to go home and change as I had an assignment to do for Jacobs._

_Feeling like sod's law had just cornered me, I turned round and began swimming back to shore, my teeth chattering slightly. After twenty strokes, I felt my feet scrape some wet sand from the shallows, and I staggered to my feet. My vision was almost entirely obscured my hair, which had plastered itself to my forehead and eyes. I continued walking, swishing my hair out of my face with my head and plucking my sodden shirt with disdain; it was stuck to every part of my torso._

_Someone screamed and I looked up sharply. My heart dropped through my stomach and back up my spine in the space of half a second. A group of bikini-clad girls were standing erect, jaws on the sand and goggling at me, some holding ice creams, which has long since met their melted death, and one held a celebrity magazine in her fist. I wondered for a fraction of a second whether there was anything about me in there before I realised where I was, what I was doing and what kind of danger I was in. Hurrying out of the water, I scooped up my dripping garments which I'd previously thrown aside and scuttled away down the beach, almost breaking into a run as a few of their cries reached me._

"_STEVEN! OH MY GOD, IT'S STEVEN STONE!"_

"_OH MY GOD, HE'S SO _HOT_!"_

"_STEVEN?! OH MY GOD, PLEASE SIGN MY BIKINI!"_

_I nearly tripped up at the last girl's cry, and immediately broke into a hectic sprint for the rocks. I took a running leap for the last few feet and cleared the first boulder which created a small area of seclusion. I breathed out, clutching the stitch between my ribs, cursed my brain for falling asleep at precisely the wrong moment. I'd made a right show of myself, and to boot, I was now uncomfortable and an unpleasant mix of wet and warm. _

_I fumbled on my belt for a moment and removed two Poké balls; a method of transport and a psychic bag of hot air. But before I did anything, I stared into the sky and followed a wispy white cloud trailing across it's surface. It was a truly beautiful cloud, with characteristic swirls entwined around each other in a loving embrace. It was so thin, it was barely visible, but I spotted it all the same. It was something people mentioned when describing my persona; I always spotted good things which no one else did. Diamonds in huge great grey boulders. A beautiful cloud in the sky…_

_My mind still with the cloud, I released Metagross into the clearing, and requested a dry-off._


	4. Chapter 4

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Hi, readers. First and foremost, I am DEEPLY sorry about the huge delay in uploads; for those who haven't checked my profile, my computer crashed and I lost everything - including my motivation to start over. However, I manage to retrieve my backups (yay!) so updates should be more normal from now on. Thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing! Now, on with the story...

* * *

**4**

As I walked, I felt the nerves taking over. My stomach began to cramp and my knees knocked together as I wobbled down the street. After nearly falling face first in the gutter, I decided to go and train for a while instead of going straight to the gym, so I could be sure that we would beat Roxanne hands down with one eye closed. I knew - from a leaflet I was reading in the Pokémon centre while waiting for Torchic and Wingull to heal - that Roxanne used rock Pokémon.  
_Fits her name_, I thought to myself and smiled slightly before heading off to boost my confidence. The route was, I realised quickly, a popular place for Pokémon training; trainers littered the path, all slightly nervous for their attempt on the Gym and all starving for a battle. I was immediately challenged by a boy in shorts, his wide, frantic eyes begging me to accept. Torchic and I managed to scrape a win, and the boy looked like I'd just stabbed him as Torchic delivered the final blow. I battled more trainers as I travelled down the route, the generosity of those I battled increasing steadily as the money on my card rose after each victory. Wingull was obviously pleased with himself, now carrying himself with a puffed-up swagger, and Torchic was looking much more fierce by the time we reached the dead end of the route. I turned around and wandered back towards Rustboro, with the fiery Torchic on my shoulder, but I'd noticed a big change in her size; her weight had increased so much, I leant over to one side, walking very wonky. Her mood had also dropped considerably, and she was more haughty and on edge than her usual chipper self. According to my Pokédex, she was level fifteen.  
"A lot of Pokémon evolve around level fifteen… Maybe, you're going to evolve soon!" I said, excited, and she looked at me, her face surly, but I saw the sparkle in her eyes even if no one else could've done. I chucked her under her beak, scooped her down into my arms and made my way to the Pokémon Centre.  
Twenty minutes wandered by, and I found myself standing outside the Pokémon gym, staring up at it nervously. My stomach was flying again. It reminded me of facing Brendan in my first battle all over again, except that Brendan and his A.D.D. weren't here; it was just me and those big metal doors.  
_Well, I'm not going anywhere just standing here_, I thought boldly. I took a deep breath, clenched my fists, and walked into the Gym.  
It was a huge space, with realistic boulders scattered around the border of the immense battle field. I could see scuff marks in the arena floor, and over in one corner dwelled an unnervingly large crater. Extremely intimidated, I sauntered forwards, suddenly aware of every single part of myself; my messy hair, the dirt on my hands, the bandage covering half my left leg beneath my jeans, a sudden hunger pang…  
My stomach growled it's disapproval at lack of food and I grabbed it to shut it up. It always, without fail, moaned at me at the most inappropriate times.  
Something moved in the shadows at the side of the arena and I nearly jumped out of my skin. I whirled around to see a tall woman walking towards me. As she came into the light, I saw she had sleek brown hair pulled back into bunches, and an aura of great confidence. She came over to me, walking smoothly, despite her heavy footfalls. Her eyes matched her hair in colour, and they bored into me, taking in my shoddy appearance. I swallowed.  
"You Okay?" she asked me, kindly. Her voice was as smooth as her walk and she sounded very mature. and I nodded, noticing my hand being on my stomach and snatching it away.  
"Can I help you with anything?" She smiled sweetly down at me and I blushed furiously. She seemed to think I was some random tourist who'd got lost and wandered in here by accident.  
"Yes," I said, slowly. "You're Roxanne, I take it?" I had to check.  
"I am, yes," she replied, equally slow, blinking her eyes once.  
"I, err, I've come to challenge you," I burbled out a fraction too quickly, and I nearly quailed as her eyebrows raised simultaneously.  
_You complete IDIOT! Don't act so wimpy! Stand up straighter! Look down at _her_ - oh… that probably won't work; you're a good eight inches shorter than her…  
_"Oh, yes?" said Roxanne, completely oblivious to the mental battle I was now having with myself. Yet, I didn't miss the scepticism in her voice. "Well, in that case… Ernie?" she called behind her, and a man emerged from the shadows of the doorway where she'd come from. He was dressed all in black and held a small flag in each hand; one red and the other green.  
"A challenger?" he asked and Roxanne nodded. He looked at me and I saw the same scepticism in his smirk that I'd seen in Roxanne's eyes, except intensified a hundred-fold.  
"Okay, take your places," the referee - Ernie - boomed across the room, his smirk still squatting on his lips as Roxanne and I made our ways to opposite sides f the arena. I felt my knees quake as Roxanne looked at me, her face blank, but, even from a distance of thirty-or-so feet between us, I could see her eyes glittering like cold fire.  
"Only the challenger can switch out Pokémon and this is a two-on-two battle," stated Ernie and he raised both his flags. "Get ready!" I touched Torchic's poké ball at my belt and I saw Roxanne's fingers twitch by her side.  
"Release your Pokémon!"  
"Go, Geodude!" A Pokémon that looked like an oddly shaped rock with arms was released onto the floor. As it's little black eyes tried to catch mine, my arm faltered in mid-swing and self-doubt hit me. Would my strategy really work…?  
"Torchic!" I cried and Torchic burst into view, hopping from one foot to… the same foot, looking fired up but a little bad tempered. Roxanne exchanged a look with the referee that I failed to miss and turned back to the battle looking bored.  
"Geodude, rock tomb," she stated and the Geodude roared and began to sprout rocks like flowers from it palms. It was honestly one of the most bazaar things I had ever seen. From the name of the attack, I guessed only too easily what the purpose of those boulders was.  
_Time for my plan to begin.  
_"Torchic! Dodge and use ember," I cried and Torchic evaded the huge boulders crashing down around her and blew a whirl of flames at the rock Pokémon. As I knew and expected, this didn't do much damage, but merely enraged the Geodude further. Roxanne simply smiled a cruel winning smile.  
"Geodude, rock tomb, again," she commanded.  
"Torchic, same, again!" I cried, and once more, the crashing of boulders shook the floor and the fire from Torchic raised the temperature of the room by several degrees.  
And on it went. Geodude shooting offensive attack after offensive attack while Torchic dodged, mostly successfully but she failed to dodge once or twice, shooting fire at her foe every time. As time wore on slowly, I began to see the result of my scheme; the Geodude's movements became slurred and reckless, more and more feeble rocks being hurled and more and more frequent misses.  
"Geodude! Harden!" Evidently, Roxanne had realised this too. Geodude moaned slightly and glowed brightly for a moment, it's arms clenched around itself in a tight ball.  
"Torchic! Focus energy!" I cried and Torchic's eyes flashed and she became very still, entirely focussed on her target. Roxanne and I looked at each other over the heads of our tired Pokémon and we both knew it. The next turn would end it all.  
"Geodude! Rock throw!" screamed Roxanne just as I screamed, "Torchic! Tackle!"  
The two Pokémon span out, Geodude hurling rocks at Torchic and her retaliating charge towards it. A rock hit Torchic and she buckled but kept hopping with speed towards Geodude. She collided with it straight in the face, and both Pokémon were thrown backwards by the force of the impact. I yelped as Torchic's little body skidded across the battle floor to halt at my trainers and I saw Roxanne's flabbergasted expression as she inspected her Geodude. She looked up at Ernie and her face said it all; Geodude was unconscious. At that moment, I bent down beside Torchic and ran my slightly shaking hand along her tiny face. Her beak twitched and her eyelids fluttered open, her beady eyes looking up at me, a determination burning in the back of her exhaustion. I looked up to see both Roxanne and the referee looking at me, both with baited breath. I couldn't do anything but grin, feeling the corners of my mouth stretch wider than I could've ever imagined. Ernie, looking simply dumbfounded, raised the hand with the green flag in it and said, blankly, "The Challenger wins round one."  
"Baby did good!" I cried, punching the air in triumph before making to scoop Torchic up into my arms for a victory hug. To my surprise, Torchic cheeped feebly and wriggled as my hands brushed her sides. Slightly hurt, I recoiled and bent my head sideways to see if she had a wound on her little ribs. A prompt second later, I'd jumped backwards and scrambled to my feet with a yell of shock. Torchic had began to glow a bright white like the sun and was shooting up and up, her body elongating and morphing into a completely different anatomy. After a few wild and confused seconds, the light faded and lying on the floor of the arena was a completely different Pokémon. It was tall, perhaps taller than me standing up, and had wing-like arms with three threateningly-long talons at the end of each. Her leg had grown and another one had appeared, both with heavy-set thigh muscles. Her feet were the same as her single foot before, only bigger and more prominent. Despite the tough 'fuck-off' look about her, she was still beautiful, with a deep red plumage atop her head instead of fluffy orange down, and her eyes were now a deep-set ruby-red, blinking up at me. I wrenched my Pokédex out from my bag and pointed it at Torchic's new form. It told me immediately that she'd evolved into Combusken. Roxanne looked impressed by the fire-fighting Pokémon, who got to her feet gingerly and staggered over to me cooing softly.  
"You're… you're beautiful!" I gasped, stroking Combusken's face softly with the back of my hand.  
"Impressive tactics," remarked Roxanne, eying me now with a different look to the dismissive scepticism she had scrutinized me with before. I smiled slightly, my hand still on Combusken.  
"Would you like to change Pokémon?" asked Ernie, observing the scene before him with impatience and confusion.  
"Yes," I said instantly; Combusken looked like she was about to faint. We'd won against Geodude by the skin of our teeth. Combusken looked at me with relief and thanks as I returned her to her ball and reached for the second one at my belt.  
"Wingull!" I called as I tossed the ball into the air. It cracked open and my second Pokémon burst out in a sphere of light. I saw Roxanne's eyes widen slightly and panic etch into her jaw. She clearly knew what was coming.  
"Nosepass," she said, blankly and a huge Pokémon was released from the ball. It's name suited it; it's bulbous orange nose dominated most of it's considerable size, but the dingy-blue body looked very strong and sturdy.  
As the referee bought his flags down for the start of round two, I yelled to Wingull, "Water gun!"  
_Water beats rock, Roxanne,_ I thought to myself, watching the squirming Nosepass under the jet of water from Wingull.  
It didn't take long. Despite being healed by two super potions, Nosepass ended up on it's back on the battlefield, twitching and all the water glistening in the artificial light. As it hit the ground, the whole building shook, bits of plaster falling from the walls. I managed to trip from the colossal vibrations coursing through the floor and swore loudly as I landed heavily on my backside.  
"The Challenger and Wingull wins," said Ernie in absolute dismay, raising the green flag to Wingull, who cawed shrilly and flew over to me. He landed softly on my shoulder, but I was too stunned to respond from the realisation which was crashing over me; we'd won… we'd _actually_ won! I'd defeated my first Gym leader!  
I looked up to see Roxanne walking over to me looking deflated but resigned. She held out her hand for me to take. I grabbed it gratefully and she pulled me up from the floor.  
"Whoa," she exclaimed looking me up and down again. "You're light." I felt my cheeks flare lightly but she went on. "I shouldn't have judged you like I did when you first came in. Because of that, I lost; I severely underestimated you."  
"Thanks," I said, feeling my cheeks turn pinker still, but I smiled at her.  
"For defeating me with an impeccable use of tactics and style," she continued, reaching in her jacket's breast pocket and pulling out something shiny, "you deserve this badge." And she pressed the Stone Badge into my palm. The cool metal stole the heat from my hand and a ray of light glinted off it's surface. I beamed at it, the proof of my progress, and looked up at Roxanne, feeling emotion welling in my throat.  
"Thank you for a great battle," I croaked hoarsely and she smiled, nodding her welcome. She looked at me curiously, and I couldn't read her expression; it was too calculated for me to fathom out.  
"Umm… is there anything else?" I asked, tentatively, and she her face melted back into a normal smile when she realised she'd been staring.  
"I think you'll go far," she said simply. I flushed scarlet and she smiled again. "Good luck on your journey and I'll hope to see you again one day for a rematch."  
I nodded enthusiastically and waved to her as I left the gym. As the automatic chunks of metal slid apart before me, the midday sun enveloped me and temporarily rendered me blinded, but I was too high to care. I spread my arms wide and absorbed the warm welcome; I had climbed the _first_ step of the league on my _first_ try. I was on my way! I practically skipped the whole way to the Pokémon centre grinning at random passers-by in the street for the hell of it, feeling more happy than I had done in years. Only now did I truly appreciate how elated Lance had been when he became Champion of Johto.  
The nurse sensed my feeling of infectious joy and grinned as I requested a badge box at the counter when handing over my Pokémon.  
"You got your first badge then?" she asked and I nodded, happily.  
"Well, congratulations!" She smiled at me and handed back Combusken and Wingull. I took them thanking her and placed the balls back on my belt walking off hazily towards the exit. I stepped through the doors and the cool of a summer evening swept over me, causing me to shiver slightly. I walked up along the high road before I came across the Devon building again. A giant sun was setting behind it's roof, casting a bloody tinge across the whole city and staining the sky a tangerine-pink. The roads were still humming with traffic and buzzing with the bustle of civilians making their way home from work, but it was a calmer buzz than it had been that morning; summer was lulling Rustboro to sleep. This thought suddenly made me feel really tired myself…  
"Get the hell out of my way!"  
Without warning, I felt a great force hit me in the chest and I was flat on my back before I knew what had happened. The air rushed out of my lungs and an extravagant pain shot through my leg and up my spine. Coughing and spluttering, I sat up and searched with watering eyes for the culprit. I focused on a retreating figure running down the street with something bulky in his - as I was sure the voice that had shouted at me was male - arms. He was wearing a familiar navy-and-white striped t-shirt…  
"Oh, God! GET BACK HERE WITH THOSE!"  
At the second cry, I scrambled to my feet as quickly as I could with my slightly-bummed leg. I recognised _this_ voice. I span around and immediately saw the Shroomish guy I had met in Petalburg woods running at full tilt after the Team Aqua thief. As I stared after them, I thought caught the hint of shouts echoing from inside the building from whence he came, and the vague ringing of an alarm. Curiosity winning the battle over common sense, I broke into a fast walk and followed Shroomish Guy and the thief.  
After a quarter of an hour or so of paced tracking, I rounded a tight corner and spotted the sign which told me I'd just left Rustboro and turned into route 116, where I'd been training that morning. I moved a little further down the path before a spotted a figure hopping from one foot to the other, wringing their hands desperately and muttering profanities that I couldn't distinguish. However, as I walked towards them, they looked up sharply and their features were thrown sharply into relief by the dying sun.  
"Oh, my _God_, you have no idea how glad I am to see you!" Shroomish Guy immediately started babbling and he rushed towards me, his arms outstretched. Nearly yelling aloud with fright from this startling greeting, he slammed his hands onto my shoulders and his eyes looked imploringly into my own. I avoided eye contact and stammered uncertainly, "Um, that guy knocked me over and I saw you running… what happened?"  
He dug his fingers a little more firmly into my shoulders and explained. "Well, you remember that hooligan who accosted me in Petalburg Woods? He was from a terrorist group called Team Aqua." He paused for dramatic effect and went on. "Why, I have no idea, but they've got a fixation with Devon Corporation and the package of goods I'm meant to be delivering. Just now, that man-" he pointed off into the mass of trees and light ahead, "-broke into the building and stole that package! He's another one from Team Aqua and he just _can't_ take that, he just _can't_!" He released my shoulders and began wringing his hands again. If I wasn't so busy absorbing what he'd just told me - and I had a sneaky suspicion that most of it was classified - I would've felt sorry for him.  
"The thing is," he went on, "I need to get that parcel back, but… I'm not a trainer…" He let his silent question hang in the air, looking hopefully at me. Shroomish Guy was so pathetically hopeless. He must've been a newbie at the company…  
I sighed heavily.  
"Which way did he go?" I exhaled in resignation and Shroomish Guy nearly skipped for joy. He pointed into the depths of the growing darkness and I began walking in the direction of his finger indicated.  
"I'll be waiting for you!" yelled the Shroomish guy encouragingly. I acknowledged the comment with a wave of my hand and strode on. The darkness closed in the further I walked and the cool of the summer's evening had matured into the cold of a summer's night. I hugged my jumper closer to me and sped up. I didn't like the dark…  
Eventually, I came to what appeared to be the end of the route, which culminated in a tunnel through a relatively large mountain. The scene was entirely undisturbed except for an old man standing by the tunnel's mouth, looking anguished and scared.  
"That thug stole my Peeko!" he cried as I drew closer. "He stole my Peeko! My darling Peeko! Oh, why, oh, why?"  
Slipping past the poor man, I entered the tunnel. It was almost pitch black inside except for an eerie pale blue glow. Feeling close to terrified, I swallowed my doubts and sauntered forwards; I couldn't let the Shroomish guy down. Deeper and deeper I ventured into the mountain until I heard a scuffling some way ahead of me. My fingers flew to Wingull's poké ball at my waist and my heart thumped a little louder as I walked on. The ghostly blue light slowly brought into view the Team Aqua member. He was standing a short distance away from me, his arms full of an elderly Wingull and a bulky package. I knew immediately it was the goods Shroomish Guy had had stolen from him. I moved forwards as silently as I could manage, but the weird light wasn't that good for orienteering; the tip of my shoe caught a small rock and it cluttered away, the sound echoing fiercely off the walls. The man span around to face me but before I could so much as look at him, he'd kicked up dirt into my face. My eyes burned as the dust slammed into my eyes and I shrieked in pain, clawing at them like a wild Pokémon. The thief laughed an evil laugh and I heard his quick footsteps heading away down the tunnel. I straightened up, eyes watering and began blinking rapidly to rid the blur from my vision. The retreating back of stripes swam back into focus I gave chase, pumping my legs ferociously to get to him. Gradually, I began to close in, and the striped back came closer and closer. But, before I could do anything, he skidded to a halt and let loose a frustrated cry. I could see what had stopped him; part of the tunnel's ceiling had caved in, rendering the passage ahead completely blocked up. He kicked aimed a kick at a nearby boulder to let out his anger before turning around and seeing me standing in the way of his exit.  
"I win," I said quietly, and I tossed Wingull's ball into the air and caught it a few times as I advanced towards him. Where this new-found confidence had sprung from I had no idea, but I had a feeling it was a combination of prowess after defeating Roxanne and rage at the small-minded mugger before me. "Give me those goods and that Pokémon."  
"God damn, the boss said this would be easy!" the man hissed more to himself than me, his eyes darting around looking for an escape. "It _was_, until got to this tunnel-to-nowhere and got cornered by _this_ little bitch." He looked me up and down with a look of disdain and my face flushed with anger.  
"Say that again," I hissed, my hands shaking slightly as I poised my hand ready to release Wingull. The bastard merely smiled and drew out his own Poké ball like a sword.  
"I think I'll let my Poochyena do the talking," he said and threw the ball into the space between us. A particularly large Poochyena burst from the ball and hurled Wingull's ball ahead, the latter springing into existence.  
"Poochyena, howl!" said the thief, and the Poochyena opened it's jaws wide to let out a chilling sound that shook me to the bone. Wingull cried in protest at the shrill din, cringing backwards in fear rather than pain and I could tell he was as unnerved by the sound as I was.  
"Wing attack!" I cried and Wingull propelled his graceful wings at the Poochyena, but his fear had affected him more than I knew.  
"Dodge and tackle!" grunted the thief harshly, and the Poochyena lunged at Wingull, knocking him back into my chest. I staggered, one hand flying under Wingull's body to keep him from falling, the other flinging itself out to stop _me_ from falling. Wingull righted himself instantly, his plumage bristling from the indignation of being tipped off balance.  
"Wingull, use water gun!" I cried and the Poochyena was promptly blown off it's feet by the forceful jet of water that spouted from the very angry Wingull. It hit the opposite wall of the tunnel and slid down it. The man yelled at it to get up and it followed suit, looking disorientated and angry for more than one reason. I was shocked that the man treated it like that…  
"Poochyena! Iron tail!"  
The shout bought me speeding back to reality with a bang. Those words stirred a nasty memory in my head; Wingull slamming into a tree, unconscious on the floor…  
"Wingull, dodge and wing attack, NOW!" I yelled hysterically, pointing frantically at the Poochyena. I could've cried with relief; Wingull swerved out of the line of fire and Poochyena was thrown backwards by the blast of air that followed. It thumped to the floor at it's owner's feet but it was all too much for it to take; it groaned for a moment then passed out, it's tongue hanging out of it's mouth like a dead Ekans. The thief's own mouth fell open in shock and fear and he quickly returned the battered Pokémon, nearly dropping it in his haste. He pocketed the ball and threw the package and the Pokémon into the air. The Wingull shrieked and the package clattered to the floor with an echoic crash. The man then shoved me hard in the chest and sprinted past me, disappearing out of sight.  
"BASTARD!" I screeched after him, coughing heavily and clutching at my throbbing leg. Wingull fluttered onto my shoulder as I staggered to my feet and I stroked his beak affectionately. He returned the gesture by nudging my cheek as I returned him to his ball. I then turned my attention to the two stole items. The Wingull looked disorientated, several of her feathers bent back the wrong way and it's beak looked sore. When I tried to touch her, she jumped and looked reproachfully at me. It took a while to get her to trust me, including a lot of hand pecking, but eventually she compromised to sit atop my shoulder, her talons digging in a little harder than necessary. I then picked up the package and turned it over idly in my hands. It was heavy and bulky, wrapped in brown paper with an address printed in permanent marker on the front. I tucked it under my arms, gave my injured leg one last rub and left the tunnel.  
As soon as I stepped back into the now moonlit clearing, I was accosted by the old man who'd had his 'Peeko' stolen by the Team Aqua member.  
"Peeko!" he exclaimed, staring at a point just to the right of my head. I looked round stupidly before realising he was looking at the Wingull. _Peeko?_  
"Umm, yeah, I got her back," I mumbled foolishly and made to pass Peeko into his arms, but she hopped off my shoulder without hesitation and the old man scooped her into a tight embrace. My heart warmed at this affecting scene but I was taken aback when he took one of my hands in both of his and squeezed. His face was shining with gratitude, his whiskery moustache twisted upwards in a smile that could raise spirits from the lowest grounds.  
"Thank you so much!" he spoke huskily, his eyes slightly glassy, and then held his hand out in a more perfunctory manor. "Mr. Briney, Sailor."  
"Jennifer. Nice to meet you," I said, smiling nervously and shook his hand.  
"I owe you for rescuing my Peeko," Mr. Briney went on but before I could protest he said, "Anywhere you want to sail at any time, come and see me and I will take you there, no charge." Peeko cawed from his shoulder as though concurring with his offer.  
"I…" I honestly had no idea what to say. "Thank you… It's so kind of you-"  
"Now, now, none of that," he boomed, waving me off. "You've just rescued my darling Peeko from that bandit! _You're_ the kind one, child."  
Feeling flustered, I felt my face flare red, but Mr. Briney had the tact to ignore this. He gave me directions to his cottage and then proceeded off back down the route with many more thanks and shrill cries from his Peeko. Feeling inexcusably pleased with myself, I made my own way back to Rustboro to meet Shroomish Guy and hand over the package.  
It was very dark now. Navigating a safe, trip-free route back to the city was surprisingly difficult. The grass seemed more untamed and tangled now daylight wasn't there to guard it, and the trees branches felt extended to cage me in, preventing me from getting safely back to the city.  
It took a while and some tripping and more pain in my leg, but I eventually made it back to where the anxious Shroomish guy stood waiting. He jumped for joy we he saw me and ran over, gawping at the package bundled under my arm as though he has never seen it before. I noticed there were dull marks in the skin on his cheeks where it looked like he'd been digging his nails into.  
"You got it back! You got it, well _done_!" he exclaimed in sheer delight, practically dancing as he took the package from me. I was slightly alarmed at his overexerted display of joy, and fought the urge to slap him round the face to calm him down. When he finally stopped, he looked at me straight in the face, a small knowing smile rounding his lips.  
"My boss wants to see you," he said and I felt my stomach flip backwards like an acrobat. The boss of Devon, the biggest and best company in Hoenn, wanting to see _me_, the nobody?  
"Really?" I breathed.  
_Idiot girl_, my head raged at me, as I flushed a dull magenta colour.  
"Yeah," Shroomish Guy replied vaguely, missing my odd moment. "Come with me." He beckoned me forwards and began making his way back through the considerably quieter city with me in tow.  
As a result to his fast walk and my hurried half-limping, we soon ended up at the Devon HQ. He walked me right to the glass front doors and held one open for me to enter. I slipped past him with thanks and froze in the entrance hall. The inside was as grand as the outside; the ceiling was high and dome shaped, with swirling patterns entwined intricately across it. The walls were wide and expansive with a few enormous promotional posters displayed along them. The Shroomish guy placed his hand on my shoulder and steered me gently towards a roped-off staircase with a security guard standing lamely next to it. Shroomish Guy spoke a few hushed words into his ear, and with a nod, the guard unhooked the rope and stood back for me and Shroomish Guy to pass through. We climbed a few more similar staircases, each as long and tiring as the last, until we came to what I knew must be the top floor. It was very empty, except for a few more promotional posters along the walls of a very short corridor, which culminated in a large mahogany door. Shroomish guy walked confidently along the hall and I followed him at a slower pace, for my leg was starting to ache. When we finally reached the big door, Shroomish Guy stepped back and looked at me expectantly. I stopped walking and looked at him, confused.  
"…Well?" he said.  
"Well… what?" I asked, hesitantly. He simply rolled his eyes at me, and a flare of indignation sparked in my stomach.  
"Go on in," he replied as though it was obvious. "The boss is waiting!"  
"Oh, right!" Feeling stupid, I breathed in, pushed open the door and slipped inside.  
The room was gigantic. It reminded me of a dining room in a luxurious mansion, with large windows spaced out at regular intervals hung with red-velvet curtains tied with gold-thread string. The room was lit by the glow of two solitary chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, their glass gently tinkling eerily even though there was no breeze. Along the walls, many display cases stood showing off countless glittery stones and gems, the artificial light glinting off their surfaces and creating mini spectrums inside their cases. The effect was breath taking. I walked over to one case and gazed hazily into the top shelf at a great blue jewel. A small copper plate underneath it read "Sapphire Crystal". I pressed my fingertip to the glass, as if they would sink through the display case and touch the gem, just for a moment…  
"Nice, isn't it?"  
I spun around so fast my leg nearly gave way and I wobbled slightly. A man was standing there dressed in a pressed grey suit and I knew who he must be: Mr. Stone. He was tall, with short white hair and a matching beard. His face was well shaped and his nose was dead-on centre. Something about him rang a bell in the back of my memory, but I couldn't put a finger on why. It was the same when I'd seen his picture earlier on this morning…  
"I'm Mr. Stone, the president of the Devon Corp." He aroused me from my stupor and held out his hand for an unnecessary introduction; I already knew who he was.  
"I'm Jennifer Collins," I returned the acquaintance and made to take his hand, before realising it was very dirty. Before I could snatch it back and wipe it on my jeans hurriedly, but Mr. Stone took it anyway and didn't seem to mind the dirt.  
"I've heard a lot about you, Jennifer," he said, walking over to a giant desk I hadn't noticed before, being too fixed with the stone collection. He sat down in a pristine leather armchair behind it and gestured for me to do the same opposite him. "You got my staff out of trouble involving Team Aqua not only once, but _twice_." He spoke as if it was a big deal. I didn't even know who Team Aqua _were_, let alone what they _did_. Seeing the blank look on my face, he proceeded to explain. "Team Aqua are a very dangerous criminal organisation. You only battled grunts, I take it?" he asked, looking down at me for confirmation. I frowned at him in confusion.  
"Err… _grunts_?"  
"I'm sorry, forgive me," he apologised. "Team Aqua have a ranking system; a hierarchy for terrorists, if you will. Grunts are the lowest ranked and are given the more trivial jobs to carry out, see?"  
"Yes, I think," I said, slowly, subconsciously rubbing my leg. "They seemed pretty weak if that's what you mean?"  
Mr. Stone barked a laugh and replied, "Yes, well… quite. Those were obviously the lower rank grunts." This proclamation made me feel like I'd had my moment of glory stolen from me, but he went on to mention, "Team Aqua have ludicrously strong Pokémon which they train in cruel methods. They are bad, power-hungry people who will do anything to achieve their means, and I _mean_ anything…" He trailed off into silence, standing up his back to me, evidently deep in thought. I recoiled slightly, looking down at his words, feeling unnerved by what I thought he was trying to say. 'Team Aqua' on it's own sounded like something childish, flimsy, not well thought-out or threatening at all… but by the sound of what Mr. Stone had just revealed to me…  
"I want to thank you for recovering those goods from Team Aqua."  
I looked up from my thoughts to see Mr. Stone had turned back around to face me, and he was holding out his hand to me, a small, purple gadget on his palm. It looked like the device my dad had been playing with when he'd come to see me at the Pokémon Centre in Odale Town.  
"That's a Pokénav," he revealed and I looked at him with a vacant expression. "It's an essential device that trainers use to check their position, directions on how to get somewhere - there's a map, see - and call other trainers. I want you to have it for free as a gift for helping me out."  
I simply goggled at him, looking from the Pokénav to him comically.  
"I… Th-thank you," I breathed, hesitantly reaching out to take the Pokénav from his palm. I looked up at him, smiling. "But... I feel like I haven't really helped you at all, Sir…"  
"What do you mean?" Mr. Stone enquired incredulously.  
"I-I mean," I stammered. "I mean I haven't helped _you_, if you see…?" I trailed off stupidly, feeling my face flare pink again.  
"Ah, yes, I was getting to that," he cut into the end of my sentence smiling and I inclined my head slightly to show him I was listening. "I have a favour to ask of you, Jenny." He paused to give me a chance to decline. I remained silent, so he elaborated. "I would like you to deliver that package you recovered to the shipyard in Slateport City."  
"Yes, I can do that," I agreed without thought and he beamed at me.  
"There's just one more thing as well, but it's an on-the-way thing…" To my surprise, he looked a little guilty for asking.  
"Don't worry, Mr. Stone; I don't have much to do," I assured him, standing up and smiling slightly.  
He chuckled and looked down at me with a smile of approval. "I have a letter I would like you to deliver to someone."  
"Oh, yes? Where to?"  
"Dewford Town," he answered. Something else rang in the back of my head and I remembered the leaflet I'd picked up in the Pokémon Centre; Dewford Town was where the next Gym was.  
_How convenient_, I thought as I smiled and nodded.  
"You wonderful girl," cried Mr. Stone happily, clapping his hands together. "And, now," he went on with a titter as I tried - and failed - to stifle a huge yawn, "I think it's about time you went and got a good night's sleep. You look dreadfully tired, Jenny."  
"Thank you, Sir," I replied sleepily, and he walked with me to the door of the office and towards the direction of the stairs.  
"Um," I faltered slightly before the steps, hovering outside the entrance to the lift. "Is it okay if we take the lift?"  
"My dear, I'd also love to," Mr. Stone said, sadly, "but it's broken. Stairs are the only option apart from jumping out the window I'm afraid."  
I bit back my grimace as we descended the stairs; I'd hardly sat down that day – and it had been an startlingly _long_ day – and my leg was letting me know how annoyed it was with me. However, Mr. Stone helped me keep my mind off it; at each floor we passed, he pointed out the various projects Devon were creating and mastering.  
"…And that is the machine we are developing to talk with Pokémon," he told me on the first floor and pointed through a door where a group of scientists were fussing frantically around a Zigzagoon who was barking into a microphone.  
"…and that is the fossil regeneration machine, which brings fossils of ancient Pokémon back to life." He pointed through another door where a small machine sat on a solitary table next to a computer where a man stood tapping keys on a keyboard and murmuring something under his breath. I gasped at this; I could hardly imagine taking in a fossil of a dead Pokémon and watching the thing just, come to life!  
"That's creepy, but incredible!" I exclaimed and Mr. Stone laughed his kindly laugh at me as we carried on down the final stair case.  
When we got the exit, he flung out his arm to stop me. "Here, let me see your Pokénav a second." I gave him the little purple nav and he fiddled with it for a moment, pressing buttons and twiddling a small dial. He reminded me incomprehensibly of my own dad, except without the blatant lack of interest in the environment - and _people_ - around him.  
"There." He finally handed it back to me. "I've just put my number on there for you so you can call me to tell me when you're done or if you need anything at all."  
"Thank you, Mr. Stone. I'll make sure everything gets done as quickly as possible," I assured him.  
Beaming at me, he took my hand in both of his as Mr. Briney had done. "Good luck on your journey, Jennifer." For the first time, I looked straight into his face and made eye contact. His eyes were grey and almond-shaped, perfectly sculpted to fit his face. And then, from nowhere, that familiarity churned in the back of my head, but I could still not fathom _why_. The moment passed and I looked back down, still preoccupied with my memory bells. As Mr. Stone let go of my hand, he pressed the letter for Dewford into my palm and waved goodbye to me as I left.  
I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open as I dragged my limbs back to the Pokémon centre to crash for the night. I handed in my Pokémon for healing and slumped in a chair, hissing slightly as my leg protested. Ten more minutes and I would be in my bed for the night, a pillow under my head and a badge in my bag…  
I woke with a start as a hand shook my shoulder gently. The nurse at the counter had healed my Pokémon but I'd dozed off accidentally while waiting. I thanked her, took my Pokémon and slugged up to my small room. I threw my bag down at the base of the bed, dropped the letter and my Poké balls on the bedside table, kicked off my shoes and collapsed, fully clothed and covered in dirt, on top of the bed. I wriggled around lazily and managed to slither under the duvet, groaning in relief at the welcoming thought of _bed_ and _sleep_. I was nearly knocked out by my tiredness when I remembered something; I hadn't asked Mr. Stone who the letter was for. I rolled over and let my hand drop like a stone onto the bedside table, letting it search feebly for the letter. My fingers eventually found it's corner and I retrieved it turning it over in my hands, sitting up slightly and reaching for the bedside lamp. I switched it on and read the name of the addressee. I stared at the front of the envelope for a few seconds then blinked. Something in my brain had just clunked into place and everything seemed to make sense; I now knew why Mr. Stone had looked so familiar. I placed the letter back on the table, switched off the light and rolled over, thinking dozily about the missing puzzle piece hand-written in spiky, black ink:  
_Steven Stone._

_

* * *

__The sun had finally taken it's last breath before sinking beyond the horizon. The change in the sky's colour was dramatic; the zesty oranges and deep pinks faded to musky purple and hazy indigo, and the faint spattering of stars had popped into existence in the west, seemingly orbiting around a . I sighed with longing at the thought of taking a long walk down the beach, trying - and failing - to skim pebbles along the waves, feeling the cool water between my toes, perhaps falling asleep under influence of the sublime drug of a pleasantly cool summer's night on the sand…  
If only Dewford wasn't flooded.  
I sighed again, rubbing at a smear of dirt on the window of my Pokémon Centre room before realising it was the reflection of my own hair. I searched the windowsill for a way of opening the window, but there was no key. Feeling hopeless, I dropped back onto the creaking mattress and stared up at the much-less-interesting ceiling. The day had drained me; I'd arrived at Slateport at midday and had a long and gruelling conversation with Stern, which had involved a lot of reasoning, clever manipulation and explanation of legal grounds. However, I now knew what the package contained, but was still no closer to guessing what Team Aqua would want with parts of a submarine engine. Jacobs had been equally clueless when I passed on the information to him, which irritated me further that I'd been forced into a horrendous job on my day off without any seemingly useful information on the other side.  
Promptly, my thigh began to vibrate and I sad up, digging in my pocket for my Pokénav. Checking the caller ID, I was relieved to see it wasn't a professional call and answered it, falling back onto my pillows.  
"Hi, Dad."  
"Steven, my boy, how are you?" Dad sounded reasonably chipper but stressed at the same time. It was an odd combination to here in a voice, similar to that of the concept of crying with laughter; too opposites working in a twisted harmony...  
"I'm waiting for the flood in Dewford to clear," I replied evasively. " How are you?"  
"Oh, I'm alright," came the rebuke, with a rather large yawn on the end. "…Something happened today which I feel the need to inform you of."  
"Oh yes?" I felt my spirits sink a little further. This quite obviously wasn't good news.  
Dad sighed heavily and divulged. "One of our employees who doesn't own Pokémon was accosted in Petalburg Woods by a member of Team Aqua."  
"Oh dear."  
"He was singled out because the grunt in question suspected him of carrying the goods Stern wants delivered, which he wasn't."  
"Oh, God."  
"He managed to escape due to a passing trainer who spotted the trouble."  
"Oh, good."  
"Very responsive today, Steven." He laughed a strained laugh before adding, "But it gets worse…" He sighed again and I stiffened. This was one of the rare times when I thought Dad sounded like an old man. I knew he wasn't young, but I never really saw him explicitly as old.  
"We had a break in," he said, heavily, and I sat bolt upright. The mattress creaked horribly in protest at my sudden movement.  
"What happened?"  
"A member of Team Aqua managed to get past security-"  
"Have you had security personnel-"  
"Yes, Steven, I _have_ had them checked," interrupted Dad, irritably. "They're clean, the lot of them."  
There was an awkward pause in which I realised I had stepped on some nerves already charred by one hell of a day.  
"Sorry," I mumbled. "Please, continue."  
"That's quite alright, Son. I understand your concerns, and I share them too. But, either way, the bastard got in. Now the same employee was on the ground floor with the package, talking to someone I think when he was meant to be doing his _job_." I couldn't help but grin at Dad's blatant annoyance.  
"Newbie?" I asked, sympathetically.  
"All _too_ new," was the grumbled response. "Anyway, this grunt saw the lad - must've been given a profile by the other thug in the woods - and mugged him of the package."  
"Not good."  
"Quite. Well, he ran out of the company and this idiot chased after him." I took the 'idiot' in question to be the newbie. "But would you believe it!" Dad's tone changed so fast from morbid to cheery that I was caught off guard. "The very same trainer who saved this young man's hide in the woods bumped into him _again_ and recovered the package!"  
"Really?" I was surprised and impressed at the same time. "That's a spot of luck."  
"Yes, indeed," said Dad, and I could practically hear him smiling. "She was in the city, I'm assuming training to defeat Roxanne, though I'll be damned if she hasn't already. Very young, though, for having the bravery to do what she did and _succeeding_ more to the point. But a charming young lady, absolutely charming. But my conscience is egging me; she seemed shaken."_  
_"Shaken?" I asked, uncomfortably. "How so?"_  
_"Hard to tell, Steven," answered Dad, but I could hear his discomfort. "I think it may've been the fact she went through a lot to get the package back; she cornered him in the blockade of Rusturf Tunnel – she was _coated _in dirt – but she also seemed to be limping really badly…"_  
_"Limping?" Something stirred in my memory and I sat forwards. "Dad… what was this trainer called?"  
"Jennifer Collins."_  
_A dawn of comprehension burst over me and I simply said, "Ah."_  
_"What do you mean, 'ah'?" Dad pressed._  
_"I happened to meet her briefly before attending a meeting where I found out she's the kid of the new Gym leader," I supplied. "He had to leave early because she got poisoned by a Wurmple which attacked her leg. Small world, eh?"_  
_"That is certainly is!" boomed Dad, and I could tell his conscience had lightened considerably._  
_"Anyway," I moved the subject on to more pressing matters. "Are we any closer to finding out what they want with the parts?" _  
_"We aren't sure," said Dad, darkly and I felt a feeling of unease settle in my stomach. "However, we have someone on it right now and they should know within the next week or so."_  
_"Good," I said, but Dad could hear the distraction in my voice._  
_"Got something on your mind?" asked Dad, gently. My heart sank further still into my stomach._  
_"Nothing new. Just a little annoyed that I have to be in Dewford at all. It's my own fault; I mean, what kind of idiot manages to lose a firestone _that_ easily?" I sighed irritably and lay back down on the bed, staring at the ceiling._  
_"Just as long as you are alright, Son," Dad replied distractedly and I could hear rustling some papers; he must've still been at the office. A flare of further annoyance ignited in my gut. "Be careful with whatever you're doing in Dewford."_  
_"Bye, Dad. Give Tommy my love. When you see him," I added in a mutter, but he caught it all the same._  
_"Steven-" he began, slightly angrily, but I hung up quickly to avoid a reprimand. I yawned sleepily, throwing my Pokénav back on the bedside table and wriggling under the paper-thin duvet cover. I took one last look at the gorgeous night sky, switched off the light and rolled over, my thoughts polluted with Team Aqua, Jacobs, my little brother and the accursed Tentacool._


	5. Chapter 5

**5**

I had needed almost a full week to recover from the events of the week before. My leg had not reacted well with the brief encounter with action, and – although the wound itself had healed over nicely – my thigh still retained that dull ache of a particularly nasty bruise. However, I let the week roll past me, spending most of my time either sleeping in bed, wandering around the city at night and training Combusken in the art of slicing small trees in half. She picked up the trait unnervingly quickly and Wingull had fast learned fast to stay well away when Combusken had her talons out.

Eventually, I decided that our limits had been reached in Rustboro; both Wingull's and Combusken's experience was now teetering somewhere where small Taillows and almost smaller trainers in baseball caps and shorts would no longer serve any purpose to their development, and my leg would now only shoot unpleasant messages to my nervous system after two hours of walking. I packed my bag that same night and stocked up on supplies before getting up early the next morning to travel to my next destination: Dewford Town.

As I walked back through Petalburg Woods, Wingull perched jauntily on my shoulder, I checked the map on the Pokénav Mr. Stone had given me. I glanced at the small screen to see the little dot that indicated Rustboro City and the little dot which indicated Dewford Town. What bothered me slightly was the vast expanse of blue between the two. I sighed in exasperation and Wingull dug his talons a little more into my shoulder. _Great. Just Great._ _I have cross the bloody ocean to both deliver the letter and defeat the next gym leader! It would be easy if only I had my own boat which I could venture from whenever I –_

_Boat..._

And then I remembered: Mr. Briney! The sailor! His cottage was on the outskirts of Petalburg City! Problem solved! I continued my walk through the forest with a new found feeling of purpose in my gut and, sure enough, I emerged from Petalburg Woods an hour or so later, repeating the directions Mr. Briney had given me under my breath.

_Come out of the forest, follow the path left, then right and his house is right again. Come out of the forest, follow the path left, then right and his house is right again. _The process went on. I drew a couple of looks but I was too busy concentrating to pay the too much heed. I even stopped noticing my stomach growling at me like a hungry Poochyena. Eventually, I took a right turn and found myself on a long drive. I walked down it and a smile stretched across my face. I was standing outside a modest little cottage with a thatched roof and a red front door. Further up the drive was a small quay with one boat anchored too it. It too was modest; plan white in colour with a few character marks on the bow and some wearing where waves had clearly crashed against it's gurth. I looked at the name printed along it's side: _Briney Seas_.

_Fitting._ I smiled to myself before knocking on the cottage door. Within a matter of seconds, Mr. Briney was standing in the doorway, his beard twitched in a welcoming smile. His 'Peeko' was peering shyly between his legs, curious to see who the visitor was.  
"Ah!" cried Mr. Briney, his arms open wide, "Jennifer! How good to see you! Come in, come in!" He stepped graciously back, allowing me to step into his home. I smiled and thanked him as I slipped inside. The moment my nose got past the threshold, it was greeted by a waft of a stench that was like stale seaweed. Although uncertain as to what else I had expected from a Sailor's house, I still found it deeply unpleasant.  
"Now, what can I do for you, lass?" Mr. Briney's kind face looked down at me, his smile still evident on his features.

"I'm really sorry to bother you, Mr. Briney, but I could really do with–" I began, but was interrupted by a flash from my belt. Wingull, whom I had returned to his ball after he began complaining somewhat, had chosen this very moment to burst out into Mr. Briney's pokey living room.  
"Wingull! Sorry, Mr. Briney – Wingull, get back here, WINGULL!" I made a vain, desperate attempt to grab Wingull but he was too quick in flying over my shoulder. At that moment, I realised what had got him excited. He landed a few feet behind Mr. Briney, where his Peeko was still observing the scene. Wingull boldly put out his beak very close to Peeko's, and she put out hers in return, allowing them to rub together. It was honestly heart-wrenching sight.

"Oh, how sweet," Mr. Briney chuckled, watching the two Pokémon.

"Looks like someone has a new friend," I grinned.  
"So, what can I do for you, my girl?" asked Mr. Briney and I returned to the matter at hand.  
"Well, you see, Mr. Briney, I've been given... a sort of job to do, and doing it involves getting to Dewford Town and then Slateport afterwards. I could really do with a ride there..." I mumbled the last sentence ashamedly into my lap, suddenly feeling terrible for asking, but Mr. Briney's eyes lit up like a lighthouse at my words.

"You need a boat?" he said slowly.

"And a captain," I added, glancing up from between my fringe. He leapt up from his seat, startling the two Wingulls behind him as the chair toppled over onto the floor, but he appeared not to notice as he shook me vigorously by the hand.

"What you are asking is no trouble at all!" he boomed, beaming like Christmas had come early, "We'll set sail right away! Perfect! I haven't sailed in too long, dear girl, you have broken this duct! Thank you!"

"Umm…" I felt like my whole body was being shaken with the force Mr. Briney placed in his handshake. The moment he released me he was off, scooting around the cottage, opening cupboards, grabbing this and that, throwing them all into a pile. I watched this process for a while, eventually deciding to right the fallen chair, sit on it and patiently wait once the over-excitable man had declined my offer of assistance.

"Let's go, let's go, grab your bag and we'll go now," he said to me about half an hour later, a large bag slung over his back. Peeko hopped onto his shoulder and Wingull mine as we left the foul smelling cottage and headed towards the quay. Once outside, I registered the sky; the clouds that had been festering ominously since I had woken up that morning had opened to let loose a light spatter of rain. Hissing as the water came into contact with my hair, I scurried quickly after Mr. Briney, desperate to get into the boat's cabin. I practically pole-vaulted over the side of the boat once it was closed enough to the wooden planks and bolted for the cabin, apologising all the while to an amused Mr. Briney. The cabin itself was quite roomy; a bench ran along one side, it's seat quilted with a thin layer of fabric, while a table and a small cupboard unit sat comfortably on the other. A couple of pillows were squashed at one end of the bench, an indentation in the middle which suggested someone else had taken a nap there recently.

"We'll be setting sail in a couple of minutes, lass. Just need to check the engines in working order," Mr. Briney told me, as he himself entered the cabin but headed for the captain's helm through another door. "If the weather clears, you can sit up on deck; seeing nothing but ocean for miles... it's why I chose to sail, Jennifer!" I smiled at him and told him I would take the time to sketch it.

Barely a minute later – or so it seemed – a roar suddenly emitted from what felt like all around. "Hold on tight, lass!" boomed Mr. Briney and, without warning, the boat jerked forward. I thumped off the bench and rolled all the way to the back of the cabin as the boat picked up speed, fighting the urge to squeal when I landed on my dodgy leg. Once I deemed it safe enough to stand, I got up and flushed a blotchy maroon as Mr. Briney glanced at me though the cabin door.

"It won't be that jerky from now on, lass," he reassured me, "You can relax for a few hours."

"Thank you so much again, Mr. Briney." I smiled at him, wincing slightly as my leg throbbed. "For everything, I–"

"It's nothing at all, m'dear!" He waved off my gratitude. "Go have a lie down. You look like you could do with some more sleep, girl; you've been training too hard!"

Flushing slightly and feeling suddenly paranoid about my appearance, I shuffled backwards onto the bench and lay my head down to rest on the pillows. Wingull was pottering around the cabin looking for a comfy corner to slumber in, and I let Combusken out to join him. They both eventually settled and were asleep within seconds. I sighed at them and rolled over, thinking about what lay ahead of me.

Obviously the first thing I had to accomplish was the delivery of the letter to Steven. The enigmatic Steven. The unwilling celebrity, famous because of his father's skills in the business sector. There, I could empathise with him, what with my own father being a renowned trainer throughout several regions. However, his disappearing act... that was something I planned on asking him about when we next met: how to do it. Yet there was one thing bothering me about the task; I was being asked to deliver a letter. But what was wrong with the post? Surely, Mr. Stone could've mailed the letter to his son? Why would someone be needed to deliver it in person? Maybe Steven was someone who travelled around a lot, and the letter contained matters which needed to be urgently addressed? Either way, I was the messenger and I had to – and intended to – deliver.

Secondly, I had read in a trainer's guide I had flicked through in the Pokémon centre in Rustboro that the second gym in the league table lay in Dewford. Then, after that – _if you even get that far,_ a small part of my mind added – I needed to deliver the package that was adding a considerably amount of weight to my travel bag to Slateport City. These two things, however, seemed far over the horizon at present; the task at hand was to deliver the letter. This conclusion of my thoughts lead me straight into a deep sleep filled with dark shadows, parcels bigger than me and a figure who disappeared every time I looked at them...

* * *

The first thing I heard when I woke was the sound of an engine winding down. I shifted groggily in my position but made no move to get up. The sound the waves made lapping against the boat, the gentle swaying of the floor on the water was so... soothing...

_BANG!_ The boat jerked suddenly and I couldn't suppress a shriek as I toppled once more to the floor. I would've appreciated the soft landing... if it hadn't been on top of Combusken. The latter was highly displeased at her rude awakening and I narrowly avoided having my face burnt off by her supreme reflexes. Wingull looked upon the frenzy with his usual cool disdain. It was then that I noticed he was not alone; Peeko must've wondered into the cabin while I was sleeping and curled up next to him. I inwardly cursed that I hadn't been awake to sketch the picturesque scene.

"We're here," came Mr. Briney's voice from the cabin. "Sorry about the jerk, lass!" I assured him it was fine, my voice croaky from my sleep, as I returned my two Pokémon to their balls. I stood up and stretched as Mr. Briney came into the cabin, his face just as jovial as when we left Petalburg. "We'll be waiting here as long as you like until you get back. Peeko and I have some friends we haven't seen in too long, haven't we, girl?" Peeko cawed in agreement.

"Okay, thanks again, Mr. Briney! Take care," I said, making my way to the door that lead onto the deck. Mr. Briney followed me and we said our final goodbyes when I headed straight into town while he stayed back to tie up the boat. The town had a nice feel to it. It was very small with a foundation of sand, making it near impossible to tell when the town ended and the beach began. However, the sand at this point in time was soaking wet due to severe flooding. I remembered reading that morning in the newspaper that Dewford's annual flood had just ended. The streets were small and pokey and the houses that littered the few streets were similar to Mr. Briney's cottage. It didn't take me very long to find the Pokémon centre, whose roof I had seen from the barge. I wandered in and headed straight for the front desk, handing over Combusken and Wingull to be revitalised. When the nurse returned some twenty minutes later and I had booked a room for the night, I decided to address my first task.

"Excuse me," I began, slightly nervous under her hard stare, "I'm looking for Steven Stone. I have a letter for him which I need to deliver and I was wondering if you could tell me where he is..." I tailed off under the look of disgust she shot me.

"Steven Stone is not here," she replied, flatly. Her eyes were slits of suspicion, but the bags underneath them clearly told me she'd been working overtime. Feeling slightly pissed at her attitude, I tried again.

"Okay. Could you please tell me where I could find him? I need to deliver this letter in–"

"Look, kid," She snapped, pointing a stout finger in my chest. I noticed her nail was bitten down to the quick. "Steven Stone comes to Dewford because it is a small town where his presence goes relatively unnoticed so he is therefore left undisturbed to his own devices. I am duty bound by state law not to allow any fans to impede that. Got it?"

To say I was affronted was an understatement.

"I'm sorry to have to contradict you," I said, my voice laced with ice, "but I am not a mere fan, sporting for Steven's affections while he absconds to a place where he feels safe. I am here fulfilling a favour for Mr. Stone of the Devon Corporation, that is, _Steven's father_." I procured the letter from my bag and flashed it in her face. "Feel free to call him and check the facts for yourself. Now, if you don't mind, could you please tell me the whereabouts of Steven Stone."

It was rare moments like these when I realised that I could become angry. The look on the nurse's face I have to admit was priceless. She looked like I'd slapped her around the face using a hardback copy of the novel lying open on her desk.

"He's probably in Granite Cave," she practically spat at me. "Head north from here until you reach the shore... then turn left." Her tone suggested she had been fighting the urge to say "and keep going."

"Thank you very much," I said stonily, taking my Pokémon and my room key from the counter. "...Bitch," I added under my breath as I left the Pokémon centre.

Although I doubted her integrity due to fatigue, I decided to follow the nurse's directions and headed through the town. On my way, another building caught my eye and my heart juddered a little in my chest. The architecture of a gym was clearly outlined in the darkening sky. Something in my gut wanted me to stroll right up to it, force my way through the doors and demand a battle there and then, but it was swiftly silenced. I had to deliver this letter before anything else could even be considered. And besides, I was _far_ too nervous to just waltz into a new gym...

I carried on walking up the beach passing a few passionate fishers who were still desperately trying to procure a Pokémon more powerful than a Magikarp. A few of them challenged me to a battle, but their Pokémon were clearly freshly caught and not up to the same standard Combusken and Wingull had reached. After a while, the sun was starting to set properly now but I had already reached the destination I wanted; Granite Cave stood before me in all it's rocky glory, it's opening high enough that a fully grown man couldn't touch the top of the arch even when on tiptoes. I hesitated outside before going in; it did look dark... and scary...

"It's pretty damn dark down there."

I turned around sharply and saw a lean man leaning against a boulder with a cigarette in his hand. The large backpack that sat next to his boots told me he was a Hiker.

"Yeah," I said, nervously. "It looks it..."

"Here, take this." He held out his hand, a small white disk held between his slightly dirty fingers. "It's Flash. My Pokémon already know it but you might need it. It lights up dark places. Really useful for hiking at night."

"Are you sure?" I stammered, taking the disk and turning it over gingerly in my hands. It was the same make as the cut HM I had been given by the man in Rustboro. "Thank you so much!" Clutching the desk to my chest like a talisman, I sucked up all my courage and entered the cave.

The hiker hadn't been lying; it got very dark very quickly and soon I found myself grappling with the rocks on the wall of the tunnel to guide my footsteps. _If only I had a flashlight or something – or a badge from Dewford so I could use that HM – this would be a whole lot –_

"AAARON!"

I nearly screamed. Scrabbling at my belt, Combusken appeared at my side to face the threat. However, the threat turned out to be minimal. Combusken had instinctively summoned a ball of fire in her palm so she could see and had therefore revealed the perpetrator of the cry. There stood a small Pokémon, with bright blue eyes and a silver body which looked like it could be made of steel. I rummaged in my bag for my Pokédex which told me the Pokémon was called Aron and was a steel type Pokémon. Something about the eyes which were gazing imploringly up at me tugged on my heart. It truly was a beautiful Pokémon. I looked at Combusken, who was watching me, waiting for my command, but I knew I wasn't going to let this beauty away.

"I could do with a new friend," I murmured thoughtfully, and Combusken cawed softly. However, the Aron must have heard me too, because it suddenly turned on it's heel and scuttled away deeper into the cave.

"Damn!" I cursed, and I ran after it, Combusken bounding along by my side. Eventually, however, I came to realise it was a losing battle; the cave was now pitch black and even Combusken's fire couldn't penetrate the gloom. I had tripped so many times I suspected my jeans might have a hole or two when we emerged back into the light. I couldn't explain why but I absolutely _hated_ the dark. Something about it made my skin crawl. I decided to slow down to see if the progress was made any easier and Combusken followed suit. I discovered quickly that speed made no difference when I tripped for the umpteenth time, but this time it was worse than before. I landed hard and not only did my thigh protest angrily, but I slashed open my hand on a particularly sharp-edged rock.

"Shit!" I cried in anguish. The word echoed around the tunnel, bouncing off the walls and ceiling with a deafening intensity. _Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!_ Despite the blood dribbling down my palm, I couldn't help but grin at the effect. I straightened up, wrapping my hand up in the hem of me T-shirt to stem the blood, and continued walking with a concerned Combusken. The echo of my curse gradually died down, but I suddenly noticed it had been replaced with another sound. A low, rumbling sound. A sound which was vibrating the floor we walked on. A sound which meant the rocks were giving way.

"Baby!" I cried out for Combusken as the ground below our feet disappeared and I held onto her as as we fell down. I screamed as we hit the floor and my leg gave way beneath me. I coughed as the dust from the debris trickled into my open mouth and eyes. I could feel Combusken stirring next to me but I couldn't see for the dirt and tears blinding my vision. Admittedly, it wasn't a horrendous fall, but it had hurt a lot.

After a minute or two, I managed to rid my eyes of the worst of the dirt and sat up gingerly. Combusken seemed to be fine apart from a few feathers bent the wrong way, but I still decided she would be safer in her poké ball than out in this hellish cave. I got to my feet, swaying slightly and soldiered on. I was now more than ever determined to find Steven and deliver this bloody letter. I had barely hobbled ten feet towards a turn in the tunnel when–

"Aaaron!"

"The little–" I continued to whisper profanities as I made my way towards the accursed Pokémon. However, I received a shock when I stumbled around the corner to find a lantern in the middle of the tunnel. I stopped dead and looked up to see the owner of the source of light. Someone was standing there, shirt sleeves rolled up past the elbow revealing strong forearms. His long-fingered hands were wrapped around the end of a trowel, and I could make out several steel rings glinting in the feeble light. His face was slightly sweaty with a small smudge of dirt on his forehead, below his silvery mop of hair and above his crystalline eyes. His face bore an expression which read mixed emotions; surprise, confusion, shock and concern were all visible as they flitted across his features. I stepped forward and a tired smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.

"Steven."

* * *

_I continued to tap away at the cave wall, determined to find a rock which looked like it could contain a replacement firestone. However, although I was still berrating myself for having lost it in the first place, my mind was still at the G-men meeting which had taken place earlier today. It had been in Johto this time - a long flight to make at three in the morning! - and Jacobs had finally decided to tell the other memebers what Lance had been asked to do._

_"What the _FUCK_?" Blue had roared, slamming his fist onto the table causing it's legs to quake. "What the _actual_ FUCK, Jacobs? He's a kid! A goddamn _kid_, and you're sending him headfirst into something as serious as this?"_

_"Jacobs, please tell me you're drunk," Red had had a fight the night before over a girl in a bar and was bearing a nasty black eye, but the eye that wasn't forced closed was looking at Jacobs imploringly. When the latter made no reaction, Red had taken out his cigarettes with a shaking hand "...Please tell me you were drunk when you decided this?"_

_Wallace was just simply gaping at our boss with an expression of dumbfounded disbelief plastered unflatteringly over his face. "Did you even _tell_ him what this really meant? Did you think to impress upon him how scary it is? How everything he's ever known would be ripped away from him? How he could... could be _killed_ if he screws up?" Blue thumped his fist again on the table at this point and shot a few more insults at Jacobs, who still hadn't moved from his position at the end of the table. He had been standing stock still, pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes closed, head tilted downwards._

_It was safe to say, I concluded later, that the news was not received well._

_"Aaaron!"_

_The cry of an Aron bought me back to the cave and I turned around to greet the little Pokémon. I bent down and stroked it's smooth back. It purred gently at my touch and I couldn't help but smile, remembering a time when Aggron was still an Aron and we used to dig holes together in the park..._

_Something in the lamplight flickered. A shadow passed over it and I straightened up to see who it belonged to. What I saw caused my whole body to freeze. Jennifer Collins, the girl I had met in Odale Town, the trainer who had recovered a highly sensitive package from the hands of terrorists, was standing in front of me looking more defeated than I would've thought possible. Her black hair was a tangled mess, ridden with dirt, and her jeans were ripped on both knees. Small cuts littered her arms, but the worst was on one of her hands, which looked like it could be infected. She looked thinner than I remembered her, her cheeks more gaunt. Her face was streaked with a mix of makeup, dirt and tears, and her usually bright blue eyes were red raw. However, they were creased in a small smile upon seeing me._

_"Steven," she said, and her voice sounded cracked._

_"Jennifer!" I spluttered, dropping my trowel and moving towards her. "My God, what happened?"_

_"I've been looking for you," she replied simply, reaching round to fish something out of her bag. "Here." She held out an envelope for me to take. "Sorry it's a little bent... I fell on it a couple of times."_

_Too startled to do anything else, I took the letter from her and turned it over. I recognised the handwriting in an instant and frowned. I had a sneaking suspicion I knew what it contained, and that certainly wasn't information that could be spoken over the phone or even put through the postal system. I pocketed the letter and went back to looking at Jennifer._

_"Thanks," I said, smiling. Then, "You look terrible."_

_"Thank you," she said, wearily, but she smiled._

_"I assume you're the culprit of the rockslide back there then?" I went on, gathering all my things together. I had decided upon sight I was going to escort her back to the Pokémon centre myself. The truth was I was way more worried than I was letting on. She looked ill._

_"Yeah, sorry about that," she apologised sheepishly. "I will never shout in caves again, _that's_ for sure."_

_"It's not something that's advisable in a place like this, no," I admitted, picking the lamp up off the floor. The shadows warped alarmingly as the light moved. "It's impressive you got this far though. This part of the cave is very tricky to reach, you know, Jen."_

_She blushed slightly. "Jen?" she repeated._

_"Sorry," I said quickly, "Jennifer."_

_"No, no, it's fine," she assured me. "I like it."_

_"Jen," I said, more assertively, "I think we should get back to the Pokémon centre. It's getting late and you look like you've been through a lot to get here."_

_"You don't know the half of it!" Jen laughed as we began to walk steadily back up the tunnel. We'd only walked a few paces however when Jen stopped and looked down. "You!" she exclaimed. I followed her gaze and saw the Aron from earlier nudging her ankle gently. Looking confused, she looked at me as though asking for advice. I smiled at this affecting scene, and I told her exactly what he wanted._

_"Catch him."_

_She looked at me for a moment before reaching in her bag and withdrawing an empty ball. She promptly dropped it on Aron's head and he was beamed inside. The ball only shook once before remaining completely still. A grin spreading across her face like the sun emerging from clouds, she bent to pick up the Aron but I beat her to it when I noticed her wincing._

_"You're a natural with Pokémon," I told her thoughtfully, placing the ball in her uninjured hand._

_"I am?" Jen squinted at me. "I've only been a trainer for, like, ten days-"_

_"Exactly my point," I cut across her, but she tilted her head for me to continue. Indicating we should keep on walking, I went on, "I've seen the way your Pokémon respond to you. Your Torchic - though I assume she is now a Combusken? - naturally respected you and trusted you from the word 'go'. It's amazing how few trainers have that. Most people just see Pokémon as tools of battle, a way to make themselves feel bigger, more powerful. But you see Pokémon as your companions. What your Pokémon are to you changes everything about how you grow and progress. You care, Jen, and you're too young in experience to understand how rare that is..."_

_Silence followed my words and I felt my face reddening slightly. I thought I had freaked Jen out with my thoughts - something which I didn't express very often. She probably thought I was just rambling._

_I was just about to apologise when she spoke very softly. "I understand."_

_Jen could never understand how much those words meant to me... or how hard I had to fight to keep myself from crying._


End file.
